Luckless
by Copper Moon
Summary: Two american college students have arrived in Japan to study abroad. When they become involved with the Sohma family they wonder... is it good fortune, or bad luck just waiting to happen? Pairings: Shigure/OC, Hatori/OC
1. Welcome To Japan

CM: Hey all! It's your gracious host, Copper Moon, here. Okay, so a friend and I joint wrote this cause we were bored. We've also been working on other stories but I thought I'd put this one out first even though it's not the first we've written. We did our best to keep everyone in character but if there is a little bit of OOC please forgive us! I hope you all enjoy it!

_**CHAPTER ONE: WELCOME TO JAPAN**_

"WARNING! OUR PLANE IS CRASHING! ALL PASSANGER BRACE FOR IMPACT!"

"Kylie! How many times have I told you not to do stuff like that?!"

Kylie sighed before fitting her bag over her seat and sitting herself down. "It never fails, the one plane that gets delayed and it HAS to be ours," She noted to her traveling companion.

"I know but we've survived this long and actually got the chance to study abroad, so try to look on the bright side," her companion said. She leaned against her seat, having already placed her bag up top. "Delayed or not, at least it arrived."

"Yeah, I know," Kylie said with a smile. "I'm only stating the fact because I find it funny."

"Oh, that's right, knowing you, Miss Happy-go-lucky," the other said with a small roll of her eyes. "Your sanguinity really amazes me sometimes."

"What can I say? I just look for the silver lining," Kylie said with a shrug. "But just think, Lin… we're on our way to Japan!"

"It's Linda okay, quit with the silly nicknames," Linda said, sighing heavily.

"The plane will be taking off, so would all passengers be sure to have their seats in the upright position and their seat belts fastened," the flight attendant said over the intercom.

"Right, here we go," Linda said, buckling herself in and hanging on tight.

Their flight went on rather peacefully for the most part. Kylie read her novel while Linda watched a movie. The two both took naps, so as to lessen the effect of jet lag. They got off and caught their second flight on Wake Island. About half way, the plane began to shake and the airline lady's voice came on. "Attention passengers. We are encountering some turbulence. Please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened."

"Wow, I wonder if we'll have to land in Japan via parachutes. What a way to make an entrance into a new country, right?"

"Kylie….please don't jinx this flight. I really don't plan on having another thing go wrong," Linda said, clenching her teeth and taking huge gulps of air.

"I suppose, though, that with our luck the parachute's wouldn't work and we would end up fertilizing Japanese soil with our--" Kylie began.

"Kylie, please, quit it. You know this is my first flight, I don't want to think about it being my last one," Linda shouted, keeping her eyes closed tightly.

"Wari, wari," Kylie said apologetically. Contrary to Kylie's fantasies, there was no need for parachutes. The plane managed to dock at the airport and the two girls stepped off without a scratch.

"Land!" Linda exclaimed in unreserved alleviation. "Solid Land."

She stopped as she found lots of people staring at her in amusement and confusion. "So…let's go grab our things Kylie," Linda said, red in the face. She led the way to the baggage drop and they waited for their bags.

Unfortunately, they waited for several minutes until all the bags were gone from that plane.

"Don't tell me we lost our luggage as well," Linda sighed, her head drooping in sadness.

"Wait right here," Kylie said, going over to a phone booth. After several minutes, she came back, her face semi-serious. "Apparently are bags are still on Wake Island."

"What? They didn't transfer over?" Linda asked with a groan.

"That's what it sounds like," Kylie replied.

"Well…at least we have our money with us," Linda said, forcing a smile onto her face. "We should just take what we have and go find our hotel."

"They said they'd have our luggage here by tomorrow at the latest, so we can wait until then," Kylie said with a smile as they grabbed what stuff they had and exited the airport.

They managed to hail a taxi and when they arrived at the hotel room Kylie flopped down on the bed. "The school term starts tomorrow, so we need to find a good apartment to stay in, unless we get lucky enough for a Japanese family to take us in," she added jokingly.

"Oh ha ha, I seriously doubt that would happen…unless it somehow gave that family good luck," Linda said shaking her head. "Naw, we just need to focus on making it through the school year."

"Righto," Kylie said with a thumbs up. "This year is going to be fun. I just know it."

***********

"Say that once more to my face, Rat Boy!"

"I swear, you're so idiotically childish it disgusts me."

"Why you--!" There were some scuffling noises along with a crash soon after.

"There they go again," the man with dark hair and glasses sighed, leaning back in his chair. "What's a writer to do when he can't even write peacefully in his own home?"

But in truth, he had been having writer's block lately. He needed some inspiration, a muse, if you will. His musings were interrupted by the shrill ringing of the phone.

"Hello…Sohma residence," he said, picking up the phone.

"Shigure, do you have a moment?" a soft, irritated voice asked.

"Of course, Hatori…I'm always free. What's on your mind?"

"Mayuki just called, saying that her sister, who works at the College, won't be getting in for some time on account of her plane being delayed. She wants you to substitute for her class until she returns," Hatori explained.

"Of course I'll do it…why didn't she call me herself?" Shigure asked.

"She didn't want to talk to you," Hatori answered curtly. "I'll tell her you'll do it, so just make sure you're ready." Hatori then hung up without another word.

"Well, that's just cold," Shigure said to no one, laying the phone back down on the cradle. Suddenly, he got a wide grin on his face. "Well, I suppose if not high school girls, college girls are the next best thing."

***********

The next day found the two girls in their first Japanese class….in Japan. They were notably the only Americans there and they felt somewhat out of place. "You know…I'm starting to feel like any mistake we make in this class will be laughed at," Linda whispered.

"Oh, I'm sure it won't be so bad," Kylie assured her with a small wave of her hand. The professor came in and wrote his name up on the board in kanji. Kylie translated it to Professor Endo.

"Welcome class," he spoke in Japanese. "This year's class looks promising. I hope that you all at least manage to pass this class." His eyes lingered on Linda and Kylie before he went on into the lecture.

"Now, let's have a volunteer come up and write one thing they did this summer on the board in Kanji….how about one of our young Americans?" he said, staring at the two girls.

"Do you want to do it, or should I?" Kylie asked.

"I'll do it, I might as well get it over with," Linda replied heavily, getting up from her chair and walking toward the board.

As she walked forward, a student jotting down notes knocked his book off the table with his elbow falling right in front of Linda as she was passing by, causing her to stumble and practically fall on her face in front of the entire class. There was much suppressed laughter as Kylie went to Linda to make sure she was alright.

All Linda could do was sigh. "Somehow I knew something like this was going to happen," the girl muttered, getting up. "Don't worry Kylie I'm fine…really," she told her cousin before going the rest of the way to the board and writing something she did over the summer in Kanji…though rather sloppily. Once she was finished, she returned to her seat and made an extra effort not to make eye contact with anyone.

"Don't sweat it, Lin," Kylie told her, patting her shoulder.

"Easy for you to say," Linda said darkly. "You didn't make a fool of yourself in front of the whole class."

"No… but chances are, before the end of the day I will."

"Jones-san, since you seem to have a lot to share, why don't you try? I hope your writing is more legible than your sister's."

"Actually, we're cousins, sir," Kylie told him respectfully.

"My apologies…will you come up, anyway?" he asked politely.

Kylie nodded and went up to the board with no problems. Once there, she picked up the chalk and wrote her thing in near perfect Kanji, making the others impressed. Suddenly, she fell forward as the chalk holder she was leaning against broke under her weight, causing chalk and erasers to go everywhere.

"……Gomen nasai," Kylie murmured.

"…That will be all, Jones-san. I will be sure to have the school bill you. You may sit back down," the professor told her, keeping his calm. Kylie went back to her seat, not looking at anyone.

"Guess I should stop predicting my downfalls, huh?"

"Yeah…maybe then you wouldn't be as jinxed as you are," Linda murmured. She did give her cousin a reassuring smile all the same, though. The rest of the class went without anymore major pitfalls and soon it was time to part ways for their separate classes. "Do your best, Kylie," Linda said with a wave; she didn't believe in telling people good luck.

"Right back at you," Kylie said with an encouraging smile before heading off to her English class. There she found a seat in the third row, so as not to be too close, but also not too far.

Soon the class was filled, but the professor was nowhere to be seen. Kylie decided to read a book that she had bought on a whim at a book stand in order to practice her Japanese and literature in one go. After ten minutes into the hour, Kylie heard the classroom door open.

"Sorry everyone, I got lost on the way. Hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long."

Kylie paused in her reading to glance up. Standing in front of the class was a beautiful dark haired man wearing a dress shirt, tie and slacks. All the girls in the class swooned while Kylie quickly decided to continue her reading.

"My name Shigure Sohma and I'll be substituting this class until your teacher returns from her trip," he said with a big smile. "Now, I want to get to know all of you, so we'll just go down the line and you'll tell me what your name is and…one thing you enjoy doing," he said, still smiling.

The students took turns giving their names, the girls with love in their voice and the boys with annoyance, until it came to Kylie who didn't seem to notice what they were doing. "Miss, would you please give us your name….I am interested to know more about our American friend," Shigure said happily, standing right in front of her.

Kylie nearly dropped her book, and nearly looked up at him, but caught herself in time and stared at her desk instead. "Ah, gomen. My name is Kylie Jones," she said in a soft but clear voice.

"I see, and are you enjoying your book, Kylie-san?" he inquired.

Kylie was a little perturbed that he was using her first name since normally first name basis in Japan was only used between family or close acquaintances. "Yes, Sohma-sensei," she replied, turning slightly pink.

"I'm glad to know that you're enjoying it…especially since it one of my personally written works," he said with a wave of his hand.

"Sohma-sensei…do you mean you wrote that? Are you a novelist?" one of the girls asked in awe.

"Yes indeed. That particular one was my favorite to write….it was most enjoyable," he replied with a smirk and his hand on his chin. "Do tell me what you think once you're finished," he said before returning to the front of the class.

The class continued on with Sohma-sensei diving straight into reading comprehension. And Kylie, glancing around, didn't think there was much comprehension to be had. The girls were to busy ogling the professor to comprehend anything he was saying, and most of the guys just didn't seem to care much.

Kylie spent the whole lecture taking notes not looking up even once. Once the class was over she thought her hand was about to fall off. Before he had them leave he showed them all a picture.

"For your first assignment, I'd like you all to write a short story about this picture you see here. There are no rules, except be creative. That is all."

Kylie looked at the picture. It was the image of a shadow.

About an hour later was lunch and Linda found Kylie sitting at a table alone. "Hey…so how did Language Arts go?" she asked, sitting down with her food.

"Well…. The teacher was late," Kylie said with a small shrug.

Linda shook her head in disapproval. "Oh yeah, that's a great way to start."

"Well, from what I've heard, he's a substitute until our real sensei gets in," Kylie said, taking a sip of her milk.

"At least he's not supposed to really be your teacher," Linda said, taking a large bite out of her rice ball. "Anything else happen….any more accidents?"

"Not yet," Kylie said before knocking on the wooden table.

"Don't really see the point in you doing that," Linda remarked. "That dang wood hasn't done squat for us our whole lives."

"Wari, force of habit I guess."

"Sounds more like wishful thinking to me," Linda said, rolling her eyes.

"So, what about you, how did your class go?" Kylie asked, turning it back on her.

"Well…since it was P.E., we weren't expected to do anything today…though, during the free for all, I got hit in the head at least a dozen times with the basketball."

"Ouch…" Kylie winced in sympathy.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Linda muttered, rubbing her head. "So, have you found us an apartment yet?"

"I found one, "Kylie said slowly. "It's a bit pricey, but it's close by, so we can just walk to school. We have enough money for now, and if we need to, we'll just get jobs."

"I guess that's better than nothing. Because my last lab is really late today, so I'll meet you later and we'll pay for that apartment together," Linda said taking a swig from her juice box and inhaling it. "*cough, cough* I…can't even *cough* drink juice *cough* without something *cough* happening," she said angrily, trying to get her breath back.

Kylie thumped her on the back and after a few more coughs, she was better. "Arigato," Linda told Kylie.

"Douitashimashite," Kylie said with a smile.

"So next you have…Biology and its lab right?" Linda asked, finishing her juice.

"That's right…my lab get's out late too, so I'll just meet you afterward," Kylie answered, smiling all the while.

"Alright," Linda replied, smiling as well. Linda then looked down at her watch and sighed before standing and picking up her platter. "Well, I've got to go…Organic Chem awaits," she said, throwing her trash away.

"Later!" Kylie called as the two went their separate ways.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CM: End of chapter one! Yay! I know the first chapter is a little slow but it will pick up soon I promise. In the mean time for those of you who aren't familiar with certain Japanese terminology, here ya go!

Arigato- thank you

Gomen/ Gomen asai- I'm sorry/ I apologize

Douitashimashite- You're welcome

Wari- my bad


	2. The Day It Poured

Next chapter is up! Whoohoo! Mmm, not much more to say I guess. Hope you enjoy it! Please R&R! ^_^

_**THE DAY IT POURED**_

A few days later, Linda and Kylie found themselves walking to class in the steady rain. The weatherman had predicted showers on and off all day. "Did you manage to finish that thing you were working on last night?" Linda asked.

"Yeah, I just hope I did well on it," Kylie answered.

"Knowing you, you'll probably have no problem getting a good grade," Linda said with a smirk. "Everything comes really easy for you." Just then a dog ran up and bit the back of Kylie's backpack causing its contents to spill out. Then the dog picked up a paper and ran of with it. "What did he run off with?" Linda asked helping Kylie pick up her now wet materials.

Kylie hurriedly picked up her stuff to keep it from getting any wetter than it already was. Her eyes widened in horror. "No… my paper… it's gone!" She began to run after the dog frantically.

"Kylie, wait!" Linda said running after her.

"I have to get it back!" Kylie shouted not slowing her running. The dog ran across the street and Kylie was prepared to follow it, when a honking car ran in front of her splashing her with cold muddy water and she fell back spluttering. Blinking the water out of her eyes, she watched dismally as the dog ran out of sight.

"I tried to warn you about the car," Linda said sadly picking her cousin up and trying to help wring out the water from her clothing. "Was that due today?" Linda asked worriedly.

"Yes…and now I won't be able to turn it in," Kylie answered losing her happy glow.

"I'm sure he'll give you another day to finish it," Linda said encouragingly. "Remember there's always a silver lining."

"Yeah… sure," Kylie murmured.

Linda sighed. She knew how bemoaning her cousin was about her grades. She had to always have high marks or she'd think even less of herself than she already did. No doubt she was worrying that she would now fail the class. "Come on," she said gently leading her cousin along by the shoulder. "We're already late."

That morning they didn't have Japanese but instead had their second classes first, so while Linda hurried off to Physical Education, Kylie quickly made her way to Language Arts. Though she wasn't thrilled of the idea walking into class late and completely drenched and muddy. But it couldn't be helped. She let out a dejected sigh before opening the door to the class.

"Ah miss Kylie….I've been worried that you wouldn't be able to grace us with your presence," Shigure said the moment she stepped through the door. "I see that you've had quite an interesting morning and that your reasons for being late are quite founded. Please take a seat and we can continue with my wonderful lesson."

Kylie sat down and didn't meet anyone's gaze. She could hear murmuring and giggles and Kylie had no doubt they were all directed at her. When the class came to a close Shigure announced, "Everyone please hand in your papers on my desk as you leave." Kylie remained seated until every other student had left the classroom. "Hmm…is there something you wanted miss Kylie?" Shigure asked noticing that she stayed seated and didn't hand in her paper.

"I… don't have my paper, sensei," Kylie whispered, looking as if she might cry. She had spent all week on that story only to have it ripped out of her hands. The dog might as well have torn out a chuck of her soul. It was the only copy she had made for it, what with not yet having computer access. "I was on my way to school and a dog came along and took it. I tried to get it back. I really tried. But then a car came and I…" she rambled on not even sure if he would even believe her or not.

"Oh…I understand. In that case why not hand it in whenever you refinish it," Shigure replied with a jovial smile. "If you get it done early and don't want to bring it in the next day then you should bring it by my house off the Sohma property in that very large forest you can see from anywhere."

"Really?" Kylie said relief washing over her face.

"Yes, so don't fret over it," he said pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiping some leftover mud off of her face. Kylie still refused to look at him but muttered an 'okay'.

At lunch Kylie found a nice table under an awning so that the rain wouldn't affect them while they ate. Shortly after Kylie sat down to eat, she spotted Linda trudging through the grounds with mud on her clothes and a slight limp to her step. "What happened to you?" she asked standing up.

"I stepped in a gopher hole and twisted my ankle while playing soccer and ended up face first in the mud," Linda explained sitting down with a huff. "What about you? How did….your paper go?" she asked wondering if she really wanted to know.

"Well, Sohma-sensei said that I still had a chance to finish it," Kylie informed.

"See? What did I tell you? You were worried for nothing," Linda stated matter-of-factly.

"It's not just that…" Kylie said quietly. "I worked hard on that story, and now it's gone."

"Well, at least it's not like the time your computer crashed and you lost all those stories you had been working on." Linda almost immediately regretted bringing that up upon the dark rain cloud that seemed to be hovering over her cousin's head. "Sorry."

Kylie shook her head smiling. "Don't be. I'm over it…. mostly."

"Great. Say I need to do a bit of shopping before going home today and since I don't have my Chem lab today I'll be headed out early. So as soon as I'm done with that I'll head on home so don't wait up for me today," Linda said changing the subject.

"Alright," Kylie said with a nod.

When the two parted ways with Kylie heading to her other classes. At the end of the school day she was about to head home when she realized she had left her literature textbook in the classroom. She hurried back to the class and was thankful that her book was still lying next to her chair. As she reached down to pick it up, she noticed a small notebook lying nearby. She picked it up and looked at the front and the back. There was no name, so she opened it and looked at the first few lines. It appeared to be just random writings and ideas. But Kylie recognized the handwriting. It was Sohma-sensei's. Tomorrow was a day off and she figured he might be missing it. But looking outside at the downpour she wondered if it was a good idea. But then, she thought, she would have wanted her notebook to be returned to her as quickly as possible if she had lost it. So, placing it in her bag so that it did not get wet, Kylie stepped out into the rain and began her journey.

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As soon as Linda was done with her Chemistry class she headed off to the store to get a few supplies for school that she had not yet obtained. It didn't take to long to reach the shops and even less to find what she needed and purchase them. Then as she walked out the door she attempted to open her new umbrella but couldn't get it open. Suddenly someone in a hurry bumped into her sending her sprawling on the wet ground near the road. She stood up and brushed herself off, ignoring the person until she noticed that her money was floating in the water and heading for the rain gutter. She rushed after the swift moving money and dove for it just as it vanished underneath the street.

"Crap!! That was almost all the money we had. Now what am I going to tell Kylie? If we don't find someway to get it back we'll be evicted from the apartment and we don't have anywhere else we can go," Linda said slamming her fist on the ground in frustration…which really didn't help any.

She was considering just laying there on the wet pavement and not getting up again when she slowly realized something, the rain had stopped falling on her head. She looked up to see the silhouette of a man bent over her holding an umbrella over her head. He had dark neatly combed hair that fell partway over one of his dark eyes.

"You shouldn't stay out here in the rain," he told her in a deep, clement voice. "You'll catch pneumonia."

"Um…thanks," Linda stuttered keeping her face turned toward the gutter.

"What were you doing anyway?" he asked as she stood up.

"I-I had a clumsy moment," Linda said not giving any details.

"I see you have an umbrella…are you not going to open it?" he asked confused.

"Yes…but because I tripped I haven't yet opened it," she explained trying to play it off as nothing. She then proceeded to try to open her umbrella again but to no avail.

"Would you like some help?" he asked reaching forward. Linda tried to protest but her words caught in her throat and she watched as he took it from her and deftly opened it. "Here that should help," he said before walking away.

Linda just held her umbrella over her head in surprise and watched as he vanished into the crowd before she got her head back and headed home.

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Kylie trudged her way through the forest down the muddy path. The rain was coming down in buckets and she could hardly see. She crossed over a log that went over a river that was currently in rapids from the excess of rainfall. She thought about turning back when a suddenly gust of wind blew her forward. She stumbled, and suddenly a searing pain shot up her leg as her foot was caught on a tree root and she fell into the mud. She tried to get up, but just moving her leg made her eyes tear up at the pain.

"What am I going to do?" She thought as she shivered. The rain was ice cold and her fingers and toes had already gone numb. "At least the bag's not wet," she thought with some hope. She had managed to keep it covered when she fell. She spotted and small hollow space under a tree and slowly crawled her way over to it. It wasn't much, but at least it shielded her from most of the rain. "It just keeps falling," she thought hazily, her mind beginning to slow down. She felt her eyes drifting shut and she knew it would be bad to fall asleep now but her body won the battle.

When Kylie regained consciousness she found it to be the next morning, to the smell of a warm breakfast cooking, and the feel of a large blanket. Sitting up she discovered that she was in a small room with traditional Japanese doors and a rather rich look about it.

"I see you've woken up…I'm glad. You had me worried there for a moment," a familiar jovial voice said from behind her. Kylie's head whipped around so fast her long braid ended up smacking her in the face, causing the owner of the voice to laugh. "Careful, you don't want to hurt yourself any more than you are already."

Kylie quickly looked away once more recognizing the owner of the voice. It was then she noticed that she wasn't wearing her clothes, but someone else's. "Where am I?" Kylie asked her face going very red.

"I would have thought it would have been obvious," Shigure said coming around her and setting a tray of food on her lap. "You're at my house. I found you while I was out walking. And don't worry, the one who changed your clothes was a young lady who also lives here."

"I see…. Thank you," Kylie said staring down at the food not knowing what else to say.

"By the way I noticed that you had my notebook with you…what were you doing with it? Were you secretly in love with me and trying to…" he started, a mischievous grin coming to his face.

"Will you quit talking to people like that? Not everyone is as perverted as you!!" an orange haired boy shouted giving Shigure a kick to the head. "Say why is there another girl in here anyway, and who is she…another girl you decided to torment?" he asked with anger written all over his face.

"Now what would give you an idea like that?" Shigure said, chibi tears running down his face.

Kylie stared at the newcomer. He looked to be about in high school. "I apologize for both my cousins, miss," a softer voice said and Kylie turned to see yet another boy with dark grey hair, violet eyes, and a polite smile. "As annoying as they may be, I can assure you they will bring you no harm."

"No, it's my fault for causing you all so much trouble with my bad luck," Kylie replied returning the smile.

"Great, she almost sounds like Tohru," the orange haired boy said shaking his head.

"There's no need to worry, you didn't cause us any trouble at all. In fact it's nice to have another friendly face around," the gray haired boy said soothingly. "Besides that cat doesn't know when to stay quiet."

"What did you say, you stupid rat?"

"So you're going deaf as well…how pathetic."

"You want to go at it?"

"I don't think that's very appropriate right now…honestly you stupid cat, you have no sense of etiquette."

"I'll show you etiquette!"

"Please stop fighting," a small female voice said stopping the two boys in there tracks.

"Yes, you two need to stop acting like ruffians, you're scaring our guest," Shigure added with a smile.

'Not so much scared as confused,' Kylie thought to herself. "Oh no!" she exclaimed suddenly. "Lin must be worried sick. I need to call her." Stupidly she attempted to get up only to be forcefully reminded that her ankle was shot.

"Oh no, are you alright? You really shouldn't do that you'll only make it worse," the young girl said coming over and inspecting her ankle. She gently lifted the ankle in question, which had been wrapped in bandages and felt along it for anything…unusual. "You said you needed to call someone? If you give me the number I'll give them a call and let them know," she offered kindly.

"That would be wonderful Miss…"

"Oh, I'm Tohru Honda," the girl declared cheerily. "But you can just call me Tohru. The one with gray hair is Yuki Sohma, while the boy with orange hair is Kyo Sohma, and you seem to already know Shigure Sohma. Now what is the number I need to call?"

"Okay, thanks Tohru," Kylie said after giving her the number of the apartment.

"Well, now that that's settled, let's leave so that our guest may enjoy her breakfast with some peace and quiet," Shigure said, ushering the two out. "Just holler if you need anything, Kylie-san."

"Sure thing," Kylie nodded and began eating her breakfast.

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Linda in the meantime was just getting back to her apartment after running around almost the whole town trying to find her cousin. She hadn't returned the night before and her whereabouts were still unknown. Exhausted she took a shower and then flopped onto her bed trying not to think of all the things that could have and probably did happen to Kylie. Suddenly her reverie was interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing. She jumped up almost immediately and grabbed the phone nearly dropping it in the process. "Hello?" she said the moment she had the phone to her ear.

"Hi…is this Linda Jones-san?" a nice calm voice asked on the other end.

"Yes, who's calling?" Linda replied slightly put out that it wasn't Kylie.

"Well I was just asked by Kylie to tell you she was fine and that she was sorry she didn't make it home last night," the girl answered happily.

"So then where is she?"

"She's staying with us for right now because she hurt her ankle and we don't want her to damage it any more. Don't worry though she'll be back…probably later today."

"Thanks, that's exactly what I needed to hear right now," Linda told her thoroughly relieved. "I would like to know where you are though so I can come see her."

"Of course I'll give you directions." A few minutes later Linda was back in her outdoor garb and following Tohru's directions to see her cousin…and break to her the bad news.

After finishing breakfast, Kylie was up and moving around with the use of a crutch that Tohru had left for her. Looking around, she had to say that she was impressed with the simplistic beauty of the house. She passed by a few rooms that looked to be occupied by the three teenagers, and then another room caught her eye that seemed a little more secluded from the rest of the house. She pushed open the door and found a writer's workshop. She almost started when she saw Shigure lying sprawled out on the floor.

"Sohma-sensei, are you alright?" Kylie asked uncertainly.

He sat up at the sound of her voice and as chibi tears rolled down his cheeks he cried, "I can't think of anything to write!!"

Kylie was thankful to see that the man was okay. Though hearing his dilemma, she could sympathize with him. "Ah, so it's writer's block."

"Of the worst kind," Shigure told her bemoaning. "And the deadline in next Friday."

Kylie thought for a while. "Well… maybe all you need is a little luck."

"Yes well, I've have very little luck for the last few days," he murmured sadly. He looked up at her and seeing something shine just behind her gave him a marvelous idea. "Wait…just hold that pose right there," he said hurriedly before pulling out a pen and paper and writing something with a flourish of his hand. Kylie stood very still, though a smile managed to find it's way on her lips. "Thank you very much," Shigure said finally after he was finished.

"Not at all," Kylie said shaking her head modest. "Well, I'll leave you to your writing." She went to leave but before she could make it out of the room the crutch she was using, which apparently had a lose screw, fell apart from underneath her and she went crashing down. "Owie…" she moaned.

He stood up quickly and went to help her. "You really should be more careful, it wouldn't be good if your cousin arrived and found you in an even worse state than when you started," he said with a laugh.

"Is everything okay in here?" Tohru asked having heard Kylie fall from downstairs.

"Ah, yes everything is perfect…Kylie here just had a slight clumsy moment right?" Shigure asked with a smile.

"Hehe, yeah. That's all it was," Kylie said standing up with his help.

"Tohru would you help our friend find a place to sit?" Shigure asked the young girl.

"Of course," Tohru said stepping forward to help to support Kylie.

"Thank you," Kylie murmured. She nearly froze when she suddenly felt her face being directed against its will until she was staring into two smiling coal dark eyes. "You're very welcome." Kylie blinked and the door shut before her mind could fully get back on track again. Once it had, she allowed Tohru to help her find a place she could wait for her cousin.

Shortly afterward Linda managed to find her way there and stumbled through the door in her haste. When she spotted Kylie's ankle her face fell a little and she sighed heavily. "You went and did it again huh," Linda said shaking her head. "At least you found…a nice family to help you," she added smiling.

"I'm sorry I didn't call last night I just," Kylie began.

"Don't worry about it…Tohru explained everything over the phone so it's completely understandable. Just don't do that to me again," Linda said exasperatedly sitting down next to her cousin.

"Well. It could have been worse," Kylie said with a smile.

"I hate to break it to you but it's already worse," Linda told her seriously.

"Hmm, how come?"

"We might end up getting evicted from our apartment."

Kylie laughed. "That's ridiculous. As long as we have enough money to pay rent we should be fine." Linda's posture seemed to cave in. "Lin… don't tell me…"

"I… kind of dropped it on my way home," Linda told her putting her face in her hands. "I tried to get it back but it got washed down the drain. And now… Dang it! Why us!?"

Kylie smiled sadly and wrapped an arm around her cousin. "We just can't seem to catch a break, can we?" Neither of them noticed, but four people were separately eavesdropping on their conversation.

"I think we should be able to keep the place if they give us a little more time and if we can get a job," Linda said trying to give her cousin some hope…as well as herself.

"How are we going to do that? The rent is due tomorrow," Kylie reminded her.

"I know…that's why I said if they give us more time," Linda replied with an edgy smile.

"I doubt we can even manage to find a job by that time…we aren't exactly the most lucky pair," Kylie said sadly.

"You know I hate it when you say stuff like that…all it does is jinx it even more," Linda replied putting her head in her hands. "If we don't get this month's rent in we aren't going to have anywhere to stay while we're in school and I didn't have a backup plan if anything went this wrong."

"That settles it then, doesn't it?" Kylie said. "We might end up having to go back to America."

"No, you shouldn't do that!" A high-pitched voice exclaimed as Tohru suddenly ran into the room. "You both are here for school right? It would be such a terrible waste if you had to go back now."

"You're right," Kylie said with a nod. "But there's not a whole lot we can do at this point."

"Perhaps, but your not alone," the soft voice of Yuki replied. "We'd like to help in any way we can."

"Well, if you could find us a really cheap place to live that would be a start," Linda replied sarcastically.

"Well," another voice said, this time it was Shigure. "If worse comes to worse, you both are welcome to stay here. Mind, you would have to earn your keep through chores, and you both would have to share a room, but I can guarantee it'll save you a chunk of change."

"But, why would you do that for us?" Kylie asked in amazement.

"I don't know….I kind of like you two. Besides….I've never had a chance to really get to know a couple of Americans," Shigure answered. "Of course we'll have to get Akito's permission first but I'm sure he won't mind having the two of you staying here." Yuki looked over at Shigure like he was nuts but didn't argue.

"It would be great if you could stay here…it kind of get's lonely being the only girl in the house," Tohru said happily.

"I guess we really can't say no to this can we," Linda mumbled with a sigh. "I just hope this doesn't lead to something else going wrong," she added to herself.

"Wait, we're having these two stay here as well? That's the worst idea I've ever heard," Kyo shouted slamming the door on his way inside. "Its bad enough we've got one here….two more will only make it worse and you know that."

"Now now, Kyo," Shigure said with a reproving look. "Do you really expect two young, defenseless women to live off the streets of Japan where all those perverts can get to them? Where's your sense of chivalry?"

Kyo went into a gloomy silence without protest and that seemed to cheer Yuki up. "At least stay here until you find a job and have enough money for a place of your own," Yuki suggested smiling warmly at them.

Linda sighed but saw that this was the only real option they had so she nodded her head and gave a halfhearted smile of gratitude. "Great, Tohru go fix up a room for these two and I'll see what we can't do about finding them some jobs," Shigure commanded with an air of giddiness.

Linda looked rather uncomfortable while Kylie felt guilty but at the same time very happy. "So tell me," Shigure said turning to look at the two. "What do you think about nurse outfits?"

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CM: Bwahaha! I assume you all know what that means? Tune in next time!


	3. Jobs and Adjustments

CM: sorry for the wait. I had to wait for my BETA to fix it up and make sure I don't have any grammar errors. No worries though. It's longer than the last to so it should compensate. That having been said, enjoy!

_**CHAPTER 3: JOBS AND ADJUSTMENTS**_

"No," Linda said after staring at the shop in front of her. It had a feel of flamboyancy and the words 'Women's Clothing' written across the top. "I know this is the place Shigure sent us to, but I'm not that desperate for a job."

"Oh come on, you haven't even looked at it! Just give it one chance," Kylie said, grabbing hold of Linda's arm to keep her from leaving. "I'm sure nothing will happen in there."

"Alright Kylie, I'll take a look, but please don't say that again. If anything does happen, I'm blaming it on you," Linda said, allowing herself to be dragged into the shop.

The two wandered into the huge shop and everywhere they turned there were clothes, clothes, and even more clothes. Most, if not all, appeared to be specifically for women.

"Hello?" Kylie called nervously. "Is anyone in here?"

"Hello, and welcome to my shop. I assume you two lovely ladies are in need of some stylish clothing," a flamboyant voice called out before a tall, gorgeous man appeared with long, flowing silver hair and the poise to go with it.

"Actually, we were looking for…" Linda started.

"Ah, I have just the thing. For you, Miss, a lovely red waitress outfit…and for you…a blue nurse outfit," he said, flitting around the two like a fly.

"I'll get the outfits right away, Sir," a young woman said from behind Linda, making her jump. With in a matter of minutes, she was back with the two outfits, an evil grin on her face.

Kylie suddenly felt a strong pressure on her shoulder where Linda's hand was. "Get me out of here, now!" Linda hissed.

"Calm down," Kylie soothed before stepping forward to meet the silver haired man. "Um, hello," she said, holding out her hand. "Are you Ayame-san?"

"Why, yes I am, and I'm also the proud owner of this establishment," he declared.

"We're not here for clothes, per se…" Kylie began.

"I see," Ayame said, taking her hand in his in one fluid movement and placing a small kiss there in greeting. "Then, please tell me, how may I be of service to you?"

Kylie was rather taken by his demeanor: he had charm most guys could only wish they had and refinement almost any girl would die for. And somehow… she didn't feel uncomfortable when she looked at him like she did with most members of the opposite sex. "Well, Shigure-san…"

"Ah yes, he did say that he'd be sending over some girls for the job…you must be them," he replied with a sweeping gesture.

"Yes, my name is…" Kylie began, but she was interrupted.

"No need for introductions, my dear lady, I know EXACTLY who you both are," Ayame said, waving her introduction out the window.

"Okay, well in that case we're here for…" Kylie started again.

"Yes, yes, you're here for employment. In that case tell me what skills you have and why you want to work here." Ayame motioned them to sit down in a rather comfortable looking couch and sat across from them, his every move elegant and breathtaking.

'Good question, why would I want to work here? Let's see… I don't,' Linda thought darkly. Instead she said, "I'm not sure."

"Hmmm, well, take your time trying to decide, there's no hurry," Ayame told her before turning his bullion eyes on Kylie. "And what about you?"

"Well, I used to watch my mother and grandmother sew when I was a child," Kylie told him, a wistful look on her face. "And it always made me happy just to watch them and help when I could. I'm not sure how I would be of help here, but I would be honored if you were to take me in, Ayame-san," Kylie finished with a bow of her head.

"Of course, how could I ever turn down the request of a damsel in distress?" Ayame replied with overzealous movements. "I dare say that you will be a wonderful addition to my shop and will expect you here for work first thing tomorrow."

"Yes sir," Kylie replied dutifully.

"I could see it in your eyes the moment you stepped foot into my shop, you knew that this was the only place you wanted to work, that simply no other job could compare. Am I right? Of course I am!" He stated with a boisterous laugh. "Now, what about you miss?" he asked, turning his attention to Linda.

"Well, to be honest, I don't think this is the job for me. Especially since I have no prior experience with making or designing clothes of any kind," Linda replied as politely as possible. "I'm afraid that I will not be of any help to your store."

"I see, what a shame," Ayame said, looking rather disappointed. But his face lit up once more. "Well, at least try on one of my dresses. I know the perfect outfit for you!"

Linda's mouth was moving without any sound coming out. It was clear that she wanted anything but to try on any of those dresses.

"Um, Ayame-san," Kylie said in an attempt to save her cousin from becoming a nervous wreck. "My cousin has a really terrible rash."

"Yeah, I do and it really hurts," Linda added, thankful for something to fall back on.

"It's all over her body and it looks really gross," Kylie continued.

"I see, well then I suppose you won't be trying it on after all," Ayame sighed, disappointed.

"Well, I'll be going then," Linda said, heading for the door at a normal pace. The moment she was out of sight, she dashed the rest of the way to the door and into the fresh air, breathing in the freedom.

"Was there something else you wanted?" Ayame asked expectantly, noticing that Kylie was still there.

"Well, I know it's a bit much to ask, but do you know of anyone else who could give her a job?" Kylie asked hopefully.

"Hmm, I suppose it depends. What sort of job is she looking for?" Ayame inquired.

"Just a simple, quiet one," Kylie said.

A broad smile graced Ayame's lips. "I know just the person. Never fear, young lady, if all goes well, your cousin will have a job in two days time."

"Arigato, Ayame-san," Kylie answered happily.

"Oh, I have an address for the place in question. I'll let you know when he says yes," Ayame said, pulling out a piece of paper. "Why don't you take it? Just in case I forget to give it to you later."

"Okay," Kylie nodded. Ayame jotted down the address and handed it to Kylie who gratefully accepted it.

"Now, before you leave, there is one other thing I need from you," Ayame mentioned.

"What's that?" Kylie asked.

"Your measurements."

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Linda jumped up from the wall that she was leaning against the moment Kylie walked out the door. "So what kept you?" she asked curiously. "I know you're keeping the job, but what made you stay in there longer."

"Let's just get back to the apartment," Kylie replied sheepishly, looking rather pink in the face. When the two arrived there however, they found, to their great shock, their stuff was being moved out of the room.

"What's going on?" Kylie asked the movers.

"The payment date for the rent was changed," the clerk told them brusquely. "Payment was due yesterday. Do you have the payment?"

"Well, no but… " Kylie began.

"Well, we have another PAYING couple who needs a room," the man informed them. "Unless you can pay here and now, your room is forfeit."

They sat in silence, unable to do anything, as the men finished moving all their stuff into the streets before going back inside and slamming the door. "I'm sorry Kylie…this is all because I couldn't hang onto that money. If only I hadn't gone out shopping that day we would have been fine," Linda said sitting down on her full suitcase, defeated.

"We'll be fine. After all, Sohma-sensei did say we could stay with them if we needed to," Kylie said with a smile.

"That's true he did. Alright, we'll give him a ring and see if that room he promised us is ready," Linda agreed, light coming back to her face.

Kylie smiled before heading over to a pay phone while Linda watched their stuff. She lifted out a coin from her pocket to insert into the telephone, but she dropped it. And when she reached down to get it she knocked her head. Linda watched this scene with bitter amusement. Once Kylie finally got the coin in and dialed the number, she waited until someone picked up.

"Hello?" A soft voice answered.

"Um… Yuki-san, right? Would it be alright if I spoke with Sohma-sensei?"

"Is something wrong?" Yuki asked, sounding worried.

"Well, it's about the room…" Kylie started.

"It's completely ready for whenever you need it," Shigure shouted jumping on the phone. "Why? Is there some reason you need it now?"

"Well, we just got kicked out of our apartment," Kylie informed him with a small laugh.

"My, that is a shame," he said, making it sound more like a cause for celebration. "Oh, well, no sense in crying over spilled milk. Feel free to come over anytime."

"Arigato, Sohma-sensei," Kylie said with relief. "You have no idea how grateful we are. If there's anything we can do…"

"Oh don't worry, you'll end up paying for it, somehow." Kylie wasn't sure what to make of that last statement. "I assume we'll be seeing you then?" he asked in answer to her silence.

"Yes, we'll be over in a bit…if that's alright," Kylie answered.

"Of course, have a safe trip," he replied, hanging up.

"So, how did it go?" Linda asked as Kylie came back.

"Well, we have a place to stay," Kylie said with a smile. "It's just a matter of getting over there."

"Alright, then let's call a cab," Linda suggested. Linda stepped out to the side of the street and raised her arm. When the taxi drove up, it splashed her entire lower front. Linda stood there for several moments, while Kylie did her best not to laugh. After so many years the two had learned to laugh at each other in good humor.

Linda sighed her frustration, but smiled anyway. "Alright, let's get this stuff loaded in the back," she said, stepping over to the trunk.

They got it opened and put their stuff in before getting into the cab and telling him where they were going. The driver of the cab looked at them, surprised and confused. He didn't argue, however, and started off toward the area. They traveled in silence, both thinking about their own thing, and Linda only looked out the window when the cab came to a stop. Standing outside waiting for them were Shigure, Yuki, Tohru, and a sullen looking Kyo.

"Welcome to our humble home. Would you like some help with your things?" Shigure asked, opening the door for Kylie.

"It would be nice," Linda answered stepping out the other side.

Kylie nodded her agreement and smiled happily, still not looking at Shigure's face. It only took one trip with the six of them all taking stuff out, and, as soon as the trunk was empty, the cab drove off in a hurry. In no time at all, they had all their stuff in the room prepared for them, and the Sohma's left them alone to rest and get their things straightened out.

"I don't know about you, but I'm tired," Linda yawned once they had finished and plopped down on her pillow.

"Yeah, I could use a nap myself," Kylie agreed, resting down. The two had almost managed to go to sleep when all of the sudden there was banging and Kyo yelling, "Stupid rat!"

"Do those two ALWAYS fight?" Linda asked in annoyance.

"I think it's kind of cute," Kylie said with a small giggle. "Besides, we're in no position to complain."

"I know…but if they keep that up I might just have to do some damage myself," Linda replied with a sly smile.

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At the same time Ayame was busy placing a call to a very close person.

"Hello, Sohma medical center," a monotone voice answered.

"Hello Hatori! I trust you're having a relaxing evening?" A boisterous voice said over the phone.

"I was until you called," Hatori stated.

"You'll never guess what happened earlier today. Two angels came into my shop, and one of them practically begged me for a job, so of course I couldn't say no. From the moment I saw her I thought--"

"Ayame, if there is a particular reason as to why you've called me, just say it," Hatori said, cutting across his rant.

"Ah yes, of course. I almost forgot," Ayame said with a laugh. "You're still searching for an assistant, correct?"

"Yes," Hatori said slowly.

"Well, it just so happens I might know the perfect candidate who just happens to be my new employee's cousin. I thought maybe you could find it in the kindness of your heart to take her on. Also, it seems she has a dreadful rash so you might want to check that while you're at it," he added as an afterthought.

"Ayame, if you'll recall, I am a family doctor," Hatori reminded.

"Well, from what I heard, the two are living with Shigure now, so they might as well be family," Ayame declared.

"I assume that means Shigure got Akito's permission?" Hatori asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course, we can't very well do anything without Akito's approval," Ayame agreed, smiling.

"Very well, I'll give her a chance," Hatori replied with an annoyed sigh.

"Alright, I know you will not be…" Ayame started before Hatori hung up on him. "He didn't have to hang up on me," Ayame said, looking at his phone. "Ah well, a phone call to Shigure will cheer me up."

He dialed the number and waited. "Hello? Sohma residence," Shigure answered.

"Why, hello, Shigure. I hope you haven't been too lonely without me," Ayame said smoothly into the phone.

"Though it's painful, I endure it until the day we come face to face once more," Shigure replied whimsically. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I wanted to ask that you please let my new employee know that Hatori has accepted to meet with her cousin in terms of a job," Ayame told him.

"No worries, I'll let her know right away," Shigure promised.

"I must say though, Shigure, after seeing them in person, I can see what you meant about your earlier statement," Ayame said, suddenly adopting a semi-serious tone.

"They do seem to get into trouble more often than is normal, I daresay," Shigure commented, checking around to make sure no one was listening. "Not just that: they seem to be hiding who they are. There's a pain hidden deep in their eyes that's difficult to decipher."

"That truly is tragic," Ayame said in an attempted melancholic voice. "If that's the case, then I can't help but sympathize with them, considering our little family secret. Even though I always wish it otherwise we're forced to constantly hide ourselves from the world. It's almost to be pitied, isn't it?"

"Yes it is, don't you worry though, I will relay the message to them and I'll keep a close eye on our American guests," Shigure promised. Then the two said goodbye and they hung up, both jovial and curious.

Just then Yuki appeared at the door, "What are you up to this time, Shigure? I know that was Ayame on the phone…what are you two plotting this time?"

"So distrustful, Yuki," Shigure sighed with a shake of his head. "What makes you think I'm up to anything?"

"It just seems a little too convenient," Yuki replied darkly. "That you managed to 'accidentally' drop your notebook, and Miss Kylie happened to be the one to find it. Then on a whim you invite them to stay with us, and you manage to talk Akito into letting them. Just what is it you want with them?"

"Absolutely nothing, I promise. I was just being a kind person, taking them in when they were in such dire need. I seem to remember that you didn't have a problem with it when they were talking about being evicted," Shigure said slyly. "Well, I have some good news for them so I'd best get to it."

Yuki was still doubtful but allowed Shigure to leave to tell the two girls the good news.

When Shigure entered the room, Kylie was writing something while Linda was resting on her bed. "I have good news from Aya," Shigure announced. "He said that Hatori is willing to meet Linda tomorrow afternoon for an assistant job."

"Really?" Linda said, looking up with an expression that clearly showed she thought it too good to be true.

"That's wonderful," Kylie said happily. She quickly jotted down the remainder of her sentence before gathering the papers up. "Um, I managed to finish my paper," Kylie said walking over to Shigure and offering it to him, while appearing to be extremely fascinated by the woodwork of the floor. "I figured I could just give it to you now instead of waiting until tomorrow for class."

Shigure placed a hand below her chin and lifted her face so that she was looking at him. "Of course I'll take it, and I'm sure it is a wonderful paper," he said, releasing her face and taking the paper from her. "I just talked to Tohru and dinner will be ready in a bit. So if you'd like to join us downstairs, we would all be delighted," he added before turning around and heading out the door.

The moment he was gone, Linda stood and walked over to where Kylie was still standing. "Are you okay Kylie?" she asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Kylie clutched at her chest as she exhaled a breath that she had unconsciously been holding. "Yeah… I'm okay. No worries," she said, managing to smile at her cousin. "Um, I'm not really feeling hungry right now so… you go on ahead, okay?"

"You sure?" Linda asked uncertainly.

"Yeah…I'll be fine," Kylie replied with a small smile.

"Alright, I'll make sure I bring something back for you okay," Linda told her before heading down to dinner.

Walking into the dining room, Linda froze as Kyo went flying through the door, Yuki standing with his foot in the air. 'So, all Japanese guys do know martial arts…or at least know some of it,' she thought to herself as she looked both ways before heading into the room, not wanting to be pegged by another flying human.

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Tohru had just finished setting the table when Linda walked in. "Oh, good. You're just in time," she remarked cheerfully. "I hope you like miso. If not I could make something else."

"Miso is fine," Linda assured her, sitting down.

"Well, it looks like I'm going to have to get that door replaced… again," Shigure sighed as he walked into the room.

"I take it this happens on a regular basis?" Linda asked.

"Yep. That Yuki and Kyo never can seem to get along…though you and I seem to get along just fine," Shigure said jovially, sitting next to her. He received a hit to the head by Yuki, who told him to quit thinking perverted thoughts.

A smile graced the edges of Linda's mouth as she saw the three of them go at it and thought, "Wow…these guys really are…pretty normal. Not to mention amusing."

"I'm very sorry about this," Tohru sighed as she served up the food.

"Don't worry about it, I find this rather funny actually," Linda replied with a small chuckle.

"By the way, where is Miss Kylie?" Yuki asked suddenly.

"She didn't feel very well, so I figured I could just take her whatever is left over," Linda told him. "Would that be alright?"

"That would be just fine. Take whatever you need," Tohru answered.

"Thanks," Linda said happily.

"So, what's wrong with her?" Kyo asked grudgingly, sitting at the table.

"I don't really know. She gets like this every once in a while, so I'm pretty used to it by now," Linda answered, skirting around the truth. Then, to keep them from asking more questions she dug into her food, having a lot of problems with her chopsticks as she ate.

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Kylie sat up in their room reading her book until sleep overtook her and she went to bed without dinner. The next morning, Linda and Kylie came down for breakfast.

"Are you feeling better, Kylie?" Tohru asked.

"Huh?" Then she caught on. "Oh yes, I'm feeling wonderful. Thanks for asking."

"Well, school starts here pretty soon, and we need to leave earlier than usual because it's farther away than it used to be," Linda said, breaking through the conversation. "We'll have our breakfast, of course, but we really do need to leave here soon."

"No worries," Shigure said, popping into the kitchen. "I can take you both since I do have one more class to teach at the college today."

"We don't mind walking," Linda stated.

"Besides, Sohma-sensei, won't it be a little awkward, you showing up with two students?" Kylie noted, staring down at her food as she ate.

"Yes, I see what you mean. Alright then I'll give you two a ride home," Shigure offered.

"No, we have to make a trip to Hatori's office to see if I have my job," Linda said before finishing her meal, grabbing Kylie, and leaving.

Shigure heaved a heavy sigh. "Once again fate has denied me my fun."

He received punches on the head from both Yuki and Kyo. "Creep," they muttered.

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The trip to the school had no problems, for once, and they arrived in no time at all. "Well I'm going to head off for my PE class and meet up with you after school…have fun with Shigure," Linda said, heading off for the gym.

"Don't say stuff like that," Kylie called after her before heading off to class. She sat in her usual seat and pulled out her things so that she could take her usual notes.

Shigure stepped in, on time, for once. "Hello everyone," he greeted them. "I have your papers here, and I must say I was impressed by a few of them. I wrote some suggestions and comments to help you. Also, this will be my last day as your substitute."

"Awwwww!" Many of the girls moaned their disappointment. A few of the guys took that opportunity to have silent bout of joy at his departure.

"Great job. You can do better. Loved the story. Enjoyed the tension," Shigure said walking from person to person handing them back their stories. As he reached Kylie's seat he stopped, "I enjoyed your story in particular."

"Um, thank you," Kylie said softly, taking the paper without looking at him. She didn't have to look to see the glares of practically every girl in the room.

Shigure finished passing out the papers and gave one last lesson. As the class came to a close, Shigure found himself surrounded by the girls of the class, all wanting to know if they'd ever see him again. "You never know," Shigure answered, skirting around the group and out the door.

Before he left, he added in a trilling voice, "See you when you get home, Kylie!"

Kylie went rigid and suddenly found herself surrounded by girls.

"How do you know the teacher?"

"What's your relation with him?"

Kylie backed away from them. "Sorry, but I have an appointment to make," Kylie apologized before running out the door as fast as she could in search of Linda.

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Linda was waiting in front of the office with a bandage on her finger when Kylie came around the corner. "So how was class Kylie? Have fun on Shigure's last day?" Linda asked with a smile.

"Let's just say Sohma-sensei has a very strange sense of humor," Kylie panted, catching her breath.

"Really? What happened?" Linda asked curiously.

"Never mind that," Kylie said, waving it away. "Let's just go and meet with your would-be employer."

"Agreed," Linda said with a laugh. She took out the paper with the address on it and led the way to a large set of buildings in a rather rich side of town. "I think this is it…though it seems a little rich to be the office of a doctor," Linda said, staring first at the paper and then at the building.

"Yeah, but this is the address that Ayame-san gave me," Kylie said glancing at her watch. "Speaking of which, I'm going to have to go to work soon so I might not be able to stay the whole time."

"That's understandable," Linda said, walking to the door. "Alright then, let's give it a shot." They went in and saw it was a fairly spacious office. In the back corner a man was sorting through some files. He glanced up and Linda nearly fell over in shock as she pointed. Her mouth moved, but no audible sound came out.

"You know Linda, it's very rude to point," Kylie whispered.

"Ah, so you're the one that Ayame sent over," he said softly, shuffling some papers on his desk. "It is good to see that you aren't soaking wet this time."

"Linda, do you know this person?" Kylie whispered curiously.

Linda put her hand down and finally found her voice, "Yeah…we met the day I lost our money. I never expected to see him again."

"Please, have a seat," he told them indicated a couple of chairs. The two sat down, Kylie averting her eyes while Linda waited expectantly. "So, tell me," Hatori said, putting the files away and taking a seat himself. "Why is it that you need a job?"

Linda's face fell, but somehow she got up the courage to say it. "I lost most of the money we had, which caused us to get evicted, and we both need money for our schooling," she said, taking very deep breaths to calm her nerves.

"I see. What skills do you have?" he asked, watching her face carefully.

"I'm pretty organized, I'm good with numbers, and I can type at 60 words per minute," Linda explained carefully.

"If I hire you, will you fulfill your duties without complaint and guarantee to be punctual?"

"Yes," Linda said without hesitation.

"Very good," Hatori said, reaching into one of his drawers and pulling out a sheet of paper. "Though the only way you'll be able to convince me will be to demonstrate. Therefore to make it official, I need you to fill out this form and deliver it to me at 4 o' clock tomorrow, on the dot. If you can do that, you have the job."

'Oh boy,' thought Linda, though she took the form from Hatori and thanked him all the same.

"Now that the business is over, there is another matter I would like to address with both of you," Hatori stated. Linda looked up at him in surprise but didn't say anything in protest. "I heard that the two of you are staying with Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo. How is that going?" he asked in a mellow voice.

"It's going very well," Kylie replied happily, looking off to the side. "They've been really kind to us, even though we're complete strangers, and they helped us when we really needed it. I don't think there's any way we can ever fully repay them." Linda nodded her agreement.

"If it wasn't for them, we probably would be living on the street right now," Linda explained with a small smile, looking at the ground. "But that's not what happened, and we want to be able to help out there as much as possible, to pay back their kindness."

"I see that they've managed to snag more people to do the house work," Hatori mumbled. "I was wondering. You said that the reason you are now living with Shigure is because you lost your home and your money. Is that what you were doing on the ground in the rain?"

"Yeah…that is what I was doing," Linda mumbled.

"I see, then I suppose I should apologize for being so abrupt the other day," Hatori said, closing his eyes.

"No, it was fine…I needed to get off the ground, anyway. It's not like I could do anything about it, once it went down the gutter," Linda said sheepishly. "I should really thank you…I was just having a bit of bad luck and you helped me out."

"In any case," Hatori said, looking at the pair once more. "I would caution that you both be careful when dealing with the Sohma family."

"Yes, of course. Thank you so much," Kylie said, bowing her head in respect. She glanced down at her watch and gasped. "Oh no, I have to be at the shop in ten minutes! Please excuse me," she said, bowing her head once more, before rushing out the door.

"I guess I'd better go then…and get this done," Linda said, standing up after her cousin.

"One more thing before you go," Hatori said, stopping her in her tracks.

"Yes?" Linda asked, turning to face him. "What is it?"

"If, for any reason, you cannot make it here on time you need to let me know…as well as the reason for your tardiness," he said sternly.

"Um…right. I'll make sure I do that," Linda said smiling.

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"Sorry I'm late," Kylie said, bursting through the door of the clothes shop.

"That's perfectly all right, your tardiness gave me the time I needed to finish my most glorious work of art," Ayame exclaimed. Then turning around he pulled out a bright blue dress with a white trim. "Now, I need you to wear this outside and attract as many people to the shop as possible."

Kylie went pink when she saw the dress. "Um, I don't look that great in dresses…"

"Now now, no need to be modest," Ayame said, handing her the dress. "Mine, please help our new worker into her uniform."

"Yes sir," Mine said with a dark smile and Kylie found herself being dragged back into the dressing room and forced into the dress.

Once it was on, she stared down at herself, feeling extremely self-conscious. "I don't think I can do this," she said unsurely.

"Of course you can, all you have to do is stand out there and smile at everyone who passes by," Ayame shouted boisterously. Mine took that moment to lead Kylie out the door and to her post.

"It won't be as hard as it seems I promise," she said, smiling, before going back inside.

Resigning herself to the fact that she was at least getting paid, Kylie stood outside the shop in the white dress. She did in fact attract many stares from people passing by and there were even some who approached her; when that happened she was give them a business card. By the end of the day, she had managed to bring in quite a few customers.

Once it began to get dark, Kylie went back inside to see if there was anything else her employer needed before she punched out for the day.

"Ah Kylie, you were absolutely magnificent out there. We got more customers than ever before because of your debut modeling job," Ayame exclaimed with many flamboyant gestures.

"Is there anything else you wanted, Ayame-san?" Kylie asked with a smile.

"No, that will be all for today…but you may leave your dress on that counter so that it is available for future use."

Just then the door burst open and in walked Shigure with his ever-happy face on. "Good evening Kylie, I was in the neighborhood and thought that it would be a good idea to stop by and give you a ride home so that you didn't have to walk all that way in the dark," he exclaimed jovially. He stopped when he actually got a good look at her.

Kylie quickly averted her eyes so she didn't see the perverted grin that spread over his lips as his eyes drank in the sight of her. "My my, I can see you've been having fun with your new employee, Aya," he remarked.

"Isn't she absolutely adorable?" Ayame said proudly taking her by the shoulders and turning her so that she was facing Shigure but still looking down at the floor growing redder by the second. "The style suits her so well, she looks absolutely divine!"

"I'm not really…" Kylie tried to protest.

"Ah don't be so modest, Kylie, that outfit really does suit you. It brings out all the fine physical characteristics that you have," Shigure said moving his head this way and that. "If you went around like that you'd have plenty of men following you around."

"Right… well, I better go get changed," Kylie mumbled, slipping out of Ayame's grasp and heading into the back room to change.

"I've seen that look before, Shigure," Ayame said, sitting down in one of his comfortable chairs. "It looks like I might have some competition, is that right?"

"No, of course not. No one could possibly fill your spot Ayame," Shigure assured him. "Even with her beauty, you still come first."

"Shigure, you sly dog…I'm very happy to have you all to myself," Ayame said, giving Shigure a hug.

Not long after, Kylie came out in her school clothing. She paused to say goodbye to Ayame before Shigure escorted her back to his car and the drive back home began. Kylie stared silently out the window watching the scenery go by.

Normally she wasn't so silent and awkward around other people, but she honestly didn't know what to say. She wondered if he was offended by the fact that she almost never looked at him, even when speaking with him. It wasn't like she was trying to be rude, she was just… afraid.

"So Kylie…do you find me…unpleasant?" Shigure asked, shattering the fragile silence.

"No, of course I don't," Kylie replied hurriedly.

"Really, then why don't you ever look at me when you're talking to me?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

"It's… complicated," Kylie said, unable to find words for it.

"I've heard that many times before," Shigure said with a small chuckle.

"I honestly don't mean you disrespect," Kylie said sincerely.

"I know you don't," Shigure assured. "It's just something I've noticed from the very first time I saw you. It drew my attention."

"Really? Why's that?"

"Because out of all the girls in that room, you were the only one who refused to look at me."

"Gomen nasai," Kylie murmured.

"That's all right. It's just, when you get used to people staring at you wherever you go, it's kind of disconcerting to find someone who won't even spare a passing glance," Shigure explained. "If it makes you feel better to not look, then I will, of course, respect that. It's alright, though, if I look as much as I please, right?" He smirked as he saw Kylie out of the corner of his eye, blushing in embarrassment.

"Sohma-sensei, I'm not sure if…"

"Ah, you forget, from this day forward, I'm not your sensei anymore. So just call me Shigure."

"Um, alright… Shigure-san."

They made it back to the house with no problems, though Kylie did hit her head getting out, much to Shigure's amusement.

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That night went by with little silence as Kyo and Yuki were at it again…though this time they didn't break anything (first time for everything). Kylie and Linda decided not to get too involved with the Sohma family's life, so after dinner they went to their room, did their homework and then went to bed, exhausted. The next day marked Linda's worst nightmare.

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CM: Ooh! What drama should follow? Stay tuned! :P


	4. Mind Your Distance

CHAPTER FOUR: MIND YOUR DISTANCE

Kylie woke up and decided that it was time for breakfast.

However, Shigure took it upon himself to appear in front of her as she entered the kitchen, half-shouting, half-singing, "Good morning, Kylie! Beautiful day we're having, isn't it?"

"What happened to respecting my condition?" Kylie said, beet-red in the face and attempting to get her heart-rate back to normal.

"Did I say that?" he asked, glancing around before running off down the hallway.

Kylie shook her head and continued into the dining room. The moment she entered the there was a loud thump coming from her room.

"Ack where did it go? I know it was here just a second ago," Linda was shouting, her voice carrying all over the house. This announcement was followed by the sound of things being moved around roughly. Then, as quickly as it started, it stopped. Linda came into the dining room moments later with a paper in her hand relief written all over her face.

"I take it that's the form Hatori-san gave to you, right?" Kylie asked.

"Yeah, and I am _not_ going to lose this thing, not if I can help it."

"Good luck," Kylie said.

"Oh, ha ha," Linda said sarcastically.

"I'm being serious," Kylie told her. "I know how badly you want the job."

"The fact is I _need_ this job if we're going to afford our stay here," Linda said viciously. "I refuse to let this dang cur-"

"Shh!" Kylie said, clamping a hand over her cousin's mouth.

"What are they going to do about it?" Linda asked, yanking Kylie's hand away from her mouth. "It's not like they can help…no one can. I'm not going to fail this one…nothing is going to keep me from completing it."

As if on cue, Shigure's editor came running through the door and crashed into Linda, sending the paper flying towards the air vent.

Linda saw its trajectory and immediately scrambled to her feet grabbing it just before it was sucked in. "I said I wouldn't fail and I meant it," she panted.

"Wow, that was amazing," Kylie commended, rather impressed. "Well, we'd better start heading for school. I know you probably haven't had breakfast yet, so here," she said, handing Linda a rice ball. "I made it myself. Tohru showed me how."

"Thanks, I've got a feeling I'm going to need it," Linda muttered, following her cousin out the door.

She was more right than she thought. On the way to school, she nearly lost her bag three times only managing to get a hold of it at the last second. Once at school, someone threw her bag in the trash during PE and another took it with them, thinking it was theirs.

Kylie wasn't having any better luck. Because of Shigure's comment the day before, Kylie noticed a change in the girl's attitudes towards her. Some were outright hostile with a few even tripping her on her way to and from class. She was left completely alone during lunch, in part because of Linda's searching the school for her bag. Most of the girls, however, spent the day pestering her for Shigure's address and, in most cases, his number.

"Why can't you?" one of the girls demanded when Kylie denied her.

"I've already told you, I have no right to give out that information, "Kylie explained.

"If you can't even give us that, then you shouldn't even have it yourself. Unless there's something going on between the two of you," one of the girls grinned evilly. This made the other girls start buzzing about what the relationship between student and teacher might be, as well as any juicy details Kylie might have.

"There's _nothing_ going on," Kylie insisted. But just her luck, she heard someone call out her name and, of course, it was Shigure.

"You left this at the house," Shigure said, handing her one of her textbooks for chemistry. "Lucky for me, it gave me an excuse to escape my editor."

"Hi, Sohma-san!" the girls chorused.

"Hel-lo ladies," Shigure trilled happily in response.

"Shigure-san," Kylie said in a low but firm voice, standing up. "May I have a word with you, in private?"

Shigure noticed the sudden change in her voice and agreed whole-heartedly. He said goodbye to the gaggle of girls and followed Kylie over to a secluded spot.

"So what is it you wanted to discuss?" Shigure asked, still beaming.

"I… think it might be best if you stopped coming here," Kylie said softly, not meeting his gaze.

Shigure certainly was not expecting that.

"I'm sorry," she continued quickly. "It's nothing personal it's just… it's very distracting."

"I'm distracting you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't think it was possible for one to be distracted when they refuse to look at the supposed distraction."

Kylie did her best not to look at him, but it wasn't out of not wanting to. She did and yet she didn't. She didn't even know what she wanted anymore. "People are getting the wrong idea," Kylie said, searching for reasons that he should just not come. "There's rumors of there being something between us and I don't want that. It would be bad for your reputation."

"Well then, we'll just have to make the rumors true, won't we?" Shigure said, smiling.

"Wh-what?" Kylie stuttered.

"I'm only joking," Shigure said with a laugh. "Besides my reputation is just fine…a little thing like rumors isn't going to ruin it," he replied, waving his hand. "But if you really don't want me around, then I won't come around any longer…unless I have to for one reason or another."

Kylie, unsure of what to say. shifted a little.

"That's the thing though, isn't it?" Shigure continued, his voice taking on a sly edge. "You want me around… don't you?"

"I have class," Kylie said quickly and attempted to walk past him.

His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop in her tracks. "I want to know if you really want me around or not," he said in an unusually serious tone. "You can't continue to always hide what you feel. You need to break free and share what you're hiding with others."

"How can I tell you when I don't even know?" Kylie demanded before pulling away from him and running off.

Shigure didn't go after her. He didn't need to. No matter how far she ran, she would come back. After all, where else was she going to live?

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By this time, Linda had found her bag and gotten her lunch. She noticed that she had only a few minutes until her Chemistry class and managed to get there just before the sign-in sheet went around.

She didn't have any problems in this class and in no time it was 3:00, only one hour till her deadline. She left the class in a hurry and got halfway down the street before she had to stop to catch her breath. She had almost made it through the day and was going to head over to Hatori's office the moment she got her breath back.

Just then, a strange man bumped into her and grabbed her bag, running off with it.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me," she exclaimed, running after him. She chased him across streets (nearly getting hit as she went), over fences (where her shirt sleeve got caught and tore), and into a shack where she finally caught up to him and slammed him to the ground just as a police car drove by.

"Thanks, Missy. You just kept me from getting caught by the police," he said, standing up.

She didn't stop to talk, instead she grabbed her bag and tore off in the opposite direction. The moment she was out of sight, she headed over to the Sohma house and Hatori's office. She marched through the door just as the clock chimed 4:00, exhausted and battered.

"I see you made it on time," Hatori's deep voice acknowledged. "Though you look rather the worse for wear."

"It's been a very long day," Linda exhaled, reaching into her bag and pulling out the form. "But I brought the form, right…" Her grasp loosened for an instant, and the wind from the open door tore the paper from her hands, leaving her to watch in horror as it was carried out the window.

Linda stared at the window for a few moments before collapsing onto her knees. She didn't cry: she was beyond tears. But she did want nothing more than to tear her hair out and scream at the top of her lungs.

Hatori stared at her for several moments. Shigure _had_ mentioned something odd about the two. He couldn't help but pity the girl after she had obviously tried so hard to get the form to him.

Linda was considering just walking out then and there when she suddenly found a cup of hot cocoa being held out for her.

"Why don't you have a seat?" Hatori said consolingly. "You look tired."

She looked at him in surprise, but she sat.

As soon as she took her seat, he handed her the hot cocoa and sat across from her. "Well, I can definitely tell that you are a hard worker. Your current state shows how hard you tried to make it here on time. Because of your diligence, I will be expecting you here tomorrow for you first day as my assistant," Hatori said slowly, making sure every word sank in.

"But I lost the form, how could I…" Linda started, really confused.

"I saw the form promptly at 4:00. Its whereabouts now are of no importance," he told her, cutting across her question.

"Oh. Well, thanks. I won't let you down," Linda said, taking a sip of her cocoa, her spirits renewed.

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"Is something the matter, Kylie?"

Kylie snapped out of her trance and looked to see that her boss was staring at her intently, as if trying to solve some sort of puzzle.

She shook her head. "No sir, I just have a lot on my mind."

"Hmm…would you _care _to lay out _all _your fears on _me_?" Ayame asked boisterously. "I will take _all_ your troubles and send them _flying _out the window, like a bird."

Kylie let out a giggle. She couldn't explain it, but she felt like she could open up to Ayame and he wouldn't criticize her. And his eccentricities really lifted her spirits. "I suppose I could try…" Kylie said as she finished stitching a seam on a skirt she was currently working on.

"_Yes_, don't be _shy_ now. I'll listen to _anything_ you have to say," Ayame said invitingly.

"I guess- I'm just unsure. I don't know what it is that I want and I keep contradicting myself," Kylie explained.

"I _think_ I understand where you're coming from," Ayame said slowly, thinking hard. "I _always_ seem to contradict myself when trying to get my brother closer to me. I never _quite_ know what to do to speak with him. What _is_ it that has you so _confused_?"

"Well, awhile back, I was hurt really badly by someone," Kylie said softly. "Since then, I've been afraid to let anyone get too close. I mean sure, I make friends but, there's just this barrier that I can't seem to let down. And when anyone even _tries_ to pass over it, I find myself running away."

"I _see_, that's _almost_ like my _dear_ younger brother…Yuki," Ayame said, thinking back. "I hurt him when we were younger and now I can _see_ the barrier he has put around himself. I just hope that he isn't running away from _me_ now."

"I don't think so," Kylie said with a smile. "I talked to him about you once before and… well, when he talks about you he has a smile in his voice. It's small, but it's there."

Ayame stood up very quickly and went into a little flamboyant twirl. "Ah, Yuki _does_ love me…He has told Kylie that he _does_ care. I _must_ inform Hatori at _once_," he cheered, running over to the phone.

Kylie wasn't sure exactly what it was that she had done, but it had made her employer happy, and she was perfectly satisfied with that. She couldn't help but hang her head in exasperation, however, when the stitching she was working on got caught and then pulled apart.

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Later that night, Kylie walked through the door to find a bedraggled but content Linda leaning against the wall with a satisfied smile on her face…along with a chocolate mustache.

"Hey Kylie, how did work go?"Linda asked, spotting her cousin.

"It was very relaxing," Kylie told her.

"I do _not_ see how you can be relaxed around _that_ guy, in all honesty," Linda stated.

Kylie laughed. "I dunno. It's strange, but I just feel like I can talk to him. I'm not sure if half of what I say registers, but- I don't feel like I have to be afraid around him, you know?"

"Could it be because he hardly resembles a man?" Linda asked.

"I wouldn't put it so bluntly, but that might be it," Kylie said, shrugging.

"I don't know how I'd survive if I worked with that guy," Linda said with a laugh. "On the other hand, I'm trying to figure out how to survive my own job."

"Oh, so you managed to get it to him," Kylie said, smiling.

"Nope," Linda said, shaking her head. At Kylie's confused look, she explained what had happened.

And Kylie laughed. "Sorry, but I just find it amusing. After having stuff like this happen to us all our lives, I can't help but laugh."

Linda began laughing too. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"Speaking of having little luck, I'm having trouble in my reading comprehension," Kylie brought up.

"Oh, yeah. You never were good at reading between the lines, in any sense," Linda remarked.

"Yeah, and I'm worried it's going to kill my grades. But I need this class if I want to do writing."

"All right, I'll help you out with that," Linda replied, still chuckling. Unbeknownst to them, as they sat down to do the work, three people moved away from their listening spots.

Kylie and Linda worked on the reading comp until dinner when they ate and then left for their room.

"I hate ignoring them like this but…I really don't want to get in too deep with these guys," Linda said closing the door.

"I know what you mean," Kylie said. "If anyone found out- No, I don't want that to happen ever again."

Linda wrapped a comforting arm around her cousin's shoulder. "Let's just get some sleep."

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"What's _with_ those two?" Kyo stated angrily as he washed the dishes.

"What are you complaining about _this_ time?" Yuki asked with a hint of annoyance.

"If those two are going to live here they could at least _pretend_ that we exist. The only time they ever come down is for dinner and that's it."

"Perhaps it's because they don't want to have to deal with _you_," Yuki denoted.

"I doubt that. I _know_ they're hiding something and it's _really_ starting to bug me," Kyo continued, ignoring Yuki's comment.

"Have you noticed that something _always_ goes wrong with those two, while everyone _else_ has things go right?" Yuki asked, making Kyo look at him with shock. "You didn't notice, did you?"

"Of _course_ I noticed!" Kyo shot back. "Don't talk to me like I'm an idiot!"

"Quiet down, you two," Shigure said, stepping into the kitchen for a glass of water. "I'm sure those two can do without your bickering once in a while. They're going through a lot right now and your constant fighting isn't helping anything.

"I got a call from Hatori not too long ago and he told me that Linda looked like she'd been put through a grinder by the time she made it to his office. Plus, I don't know if either of you had noticed, but Kylie _only_ looks at Tohru and Linda…she has never _once_ looked at any of us," Shigure explained, making Kyo and Yuki both feel a bit bad.

"So, what do we do then?" Kyo asked.

"Well, I've been thinking. Maybe if we all went on a trip somewhere, it would make the girls feel more like they're part of the family," Shigure suggested.

"You just want to get away from your editor, don't you?" Yuki deduced.

"Well, that too, but this is mainly for their benefit. Maybe Momiji and Haru will come too," Shigure suggested with a big smile.

"Yeah, and what happens if they discover the curse?" Kyo asked angrily.

"Don't you worry about that. I'm sure that they have no desire to touch any of us," Shigure replied, waving away their concerns. "We can start planning now and go during winter break," Shigure stated, making it official. "You two can come if you want to. I wouldn't mind going alone with three wonderful females."

This earned him two hits on the head.

"Like we'd let you!" The two exclaimed together.

"You don't trust me?" Shigure asked, feeling hurt.

"Why should we? You've been bugging those two ever since they came here," Kyo shouted.

"Keep it down, you stupid cat, or you'll wake someone up," Yuki muttered softly. Then, to Shigure, "I _do_ think they'd enjoy a vacation of some sort though. If it becomes official, then I'm coming too; I'm not going to let you be with them alone."

"Wonderful! I'll book us a resort then," Shigure stated before skipping out of the kitchen.

"Stupid dog, he's always trying to fill his own agenda," Kyo muttered.

"As much as I dislike it, I have to agree with you," Yuki concurred. "However, we probably _should_ try to make them feel more welcome."

"Whatever, I'm going to bed," Kyo muttered and left the kitchen.

CM: Can the Sohma family help out these girls and get them to open up? Stay tuned!


	5. Reaching Out

CM: Man am I exhausted. It's spring break and I had to deal with midterms. Bleh… Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story. Please feel free to give your opinions and reviews. They're what give me energy and the will to write :P

_**CHAPTER FIVE: REACHING OUT**_

The next day Linda woke up unusually early and went downstairs without waking her cousin. Once there, she went to the kitchen to get some orange juice and saw Kyo there already.

"Sorry didn't mean to intrude, I'll just wait until you're done," she said, turning around to leave.

"Hey," Kyo said, stopping her in her tracks. She turned to look at him and he looked to be struggling with himself. "Do you wanna… I dunno… do you like martial arts, or any kind of fighting?"

"I've never really taken a class before but yeah…kind of, why?" Linda asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I've been studying it for a long time now and…well, I thought…maybe I could show you a few moves," Kyo replied awkwardly.

Linda grinned at his answer, "Sounds like fun…I'll talk to Kylie about it. I just might give it a shot."

A little later, after Kylie was woken up, the two were outside, the sunrays only barely peaking out over the landscape. "So, are you going to teach us how to fight bears?" Kylie asked him.

"Who the hell said that!?" Kyo shouted at her.

"Shigure mentioned something about it," Kylie replied timidly.

It was then Kyo noticed that, true to what Shigure said, Kylie had not spared him even a single moment of eye contact. He exhaled an angry breath. "You shouldn't believe everything that guy tells you."

"My cousin is rather gullible, so give her a break," Linda explained, shaking her head. "Oh, and if you ever decide to take advantage of that I'll destroy you," she added in a whisper.

Kyo felt kind of worried at that point, but didn't let it bother him too much, "Why would I ever take advantage of something like that?" he thought to himself.

After that, their first training session got under way. They trained for about an hour before the three decided to call it quits. Both girls had learned quite a bit and thanked Kyo as they went in for some breakfast. Tohru and Yuki were already sitting at the table upon their arrival.

"Good morning," Yuki greeted them with a smile. Linda and Kylie responded with their own good mornings, Kylie looking like she was greeting Yuki's bowl of cereal.

Yuki noticed Kylie's attempt to not look at him but decided not to address it. "You two are up awfully early," he commented.

"I couldn't sleep so I grabbed a drink…and then we got some martial arts lessons from Kyo," Linda explained sitting down to eat. "He really knows his stuff."

Kyo turned red in the face. "I only showed you guys the basics. A two year old could have taught you that much."

"I agree with Linda," Kylie said warmly. "You're a good teacher, Kyo-senpai."

This made Kyo go even redder. "Don't call me that."

"Well, it's good to see that he hasn't been giving either of you any trouble," Yuki said pleasantly.

"Was that a shot, rat boy?" Kyo demanded.

Yuki ignored him. "I was wondering… what time do you two get out of class today?"

"Well, after school we have our jobs. But probably some time before the sun goes down," Kylie said after some thought. "Why?"

"Do you like vegetables?" Yuki asked offhandedly.

"Not really…but Kylie does," Linda answered taking a bite of her food.

"I love vegetables," Kylie squealed.

"See, why do you ask?" Linda mumbled through her food.

"Well, I'd like to show you both something when you have the time," Yuki offered.

"Sounds like fun," Kylie said.

"Sure, why not?" Linda agreed.

Later that afternoon, after the two got off work and were back at the Sohma house, Yuki began leading them somewhere. "It's not too far," he said. "But I think you both will appreciate it."

When he brought them to his garden, Kylie's eyes widened in delight. "Did you grow all of these yourself?" She asked as she looked at the various ones.

"Yes…though Tohru helped out quite a bit this last time," Yuki answered with a smile.

"I've got to admit this is pretty impressive," Linda said, crouching down and examining the vegetables. "Brings back memories, huh, Kylie?" Linda said with a small laugh.

Kylie giggled. "Yeah, I remember we tried growing a garden."

"What happened?" Yuki asked curiously.

"Let's just say those weeds over there looked better than what we came up with," Linda described.

"You see, first there was a drought, and then when rain finally did come it drowned all the plants," Kylie explained. "But it all ended when the locusts came."

Linda burst out laughing when Yuki's eyes increased by twice their normal size.

"I was kidding about the locusts by the way," Kylie reassured him with a smile.

"I'm sorry to hear that your last experience went so horribly wrong," Yuki consoled. "You know, these were actually almost dead about a month ago. In the last few weeks though, they've been growing better than ever."

At this Linda and Kylie exchanged glances of understanding.

"Is something the matter?" Yuki asked.

"Nope," Linda said, standing up.

"Let's go have dinner," Kylie said, mimicking her.

Yuki was rather confused by the girl's abruptness, but said nothing. He gathered some of the riper-looking vegetables with the girls' help, and they managed to carry them back to the house without injury.

"Oh good, you're back," Tohru said with a smile when they all entered the kitchen, Kyo rolled his eyes and got himself some milk from the fridge.

"Miss Honda, I don't suppose you would mind a few extra ingredients?" Yuki asked her, laying the vegetables down on the table.

"No, not at all," Tohru assured him.

"Damn rat, you know I don't like vegetables," Kyo muttered.

"Do you like finding things to complain about?" Yuki asked irately.

"Why you--!"

"By the way, did you all know that there are no such things as vegetables?" Kylie announced striking an intuitive pose with a wildly serious face on.

Tohru and Kyo both looked at her in confusion while Yuki put a hand over his mouth and Linda did a facepalm.

"Where did that come from?" Kyo demanded.

"Well, it's true," Kylie exclaimed.

"Then, what do you call those?" Kyo asked, pointing at the vegetables they had just brought in.

"They're vegetative structures," Kylie explained happily.

At this point, Yuki walked out of the room without a word to anybody while Kyo ranted about just calling them vegetables. Linda stayed to help with dinner and help calm Kyo down.

Kylie followed Yuki out of the room. "Um… I'm sorry if I said anything to offend you," she offered apologetically.

Yuki's shoulder's shook and he let out several stifled noises before succumbing to a soft fit of laughter. "I'm sorry, Miss Kylie," he said through his chuckles. "It's just, I've never heard anyone say something so spontaneously before."

Kylie giggled a little herself. "I guess that was pretty spontaneous, huh? Sorry if I freak you out."

"No, not at all, I find it quite charming actually," Yuki said sincerely.

"Well, thank you," Kylie said, accepting the compliment.

"I've been meaning to ask, how are things going at work?" Yuki inquired politely. "I know my brother can be a handful."

"Things actually couldn't be better," Kylie told him sincerely. "He's a wonderful person, your brother. It must run in the family."

"No, it really doesn't…my parents are nothing like him and I am the exact opposite of him," Yuki corrected. "Honestly, I'm surprised you can stand to be around him for very long at all."

"I can usually get along with just about anyone," Kylie explained to him. "Honestly, I think you're very lucky. He seems to really care about you and about what you think of him."

"I think he only lives to bug me and report to Hatori every time I do something he sees as an improvement," Yuki replied, shaking his head. "Though, there are times where he does seem like an older brother…those are really rare though." There was a pause, then, "Miss Kylie, if you don't mind me asking… How do you talk with him?"

Kylie stared up at the ceiling, deep in thought. "I don't know… I just do. But you should always keep in mind that everyone has their differences, and you just have to take them for what they are."

"I see…" Yuki said thoughtfully.

"He told me that you and I are a lot alike. That even though we seem to get along well with others, we both have a barrier," Kylie told him. "Who knows? Maybe we can help each other out."

"Maybe we can," Yuki agreed. "Well, thank you for the help, and let me know if you need anything." He smiled and said thank you once again before going back inside for dinner.

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A week passed by and Kylie and Linda found themselves growing closer with the family of four. Kyo continued teaching them martial arts in the early mornings and in the afternoon Kylie would occasionally help out in the garden with Yuki and Tohru, so long as she didn't touch anything.

When Yuki politely asked her how, she merely said, "I'll be your moral support."

There were also a few instances where Shigure would show up at the college to drop off a book or homework that Kylie had misplaced that morning, but thankfully he didn't make a big production about it, as he had previously. Ayame's business was practically thriving and Hatori surprisingly didn't have the large amount of patients that he was used to this time of year.

One afternoon, Linda was working on organizing files when she noticed that one stack of them belonged on the top shelf. She tried reaching it without any help, but found that she was too short. So, sucking up her pride, she grabbed a stool, and with its help, she managed to reach the files.

As she was putting the files into place, Hatori came into the room, "If you can't reach it, it's alright to leave them for me."

"No worries, I got it," Linda replied with a smile.

Hatori watched her closely as she shoved the files into place.

"There, they're in," Linda said, smacking her hands together in delight. A second later, a leg on the stool broke, sending her tumbling backwards into Hatori, who broke her fall.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hurt you, did I?" Linda asked, jumping up.

"No….I'm not hurt," Hatori replied, looking at his body.

"Well, my work time is over, so I'll be going now. Once again, sorry about that," Linda said, grabbing her stuff and running out the door.

The moment the door closed behind her, there was a popping sound and Hatori turned into a little seahorse. 'That was interesting…there was a delayed reaction in the transformation. I guess Shigure wasn't kidding when he said there was something strange about them.'

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"Linda!" Kylie moaned, stepping into the room.

"What is it, Kylie?" Linda asked, sitting up from her relaxing. It was late in the evening and Kylie had just returned from a lab.

"Look at this," Kylie said, showing Linda the results to her literature test.

"It's a C," Linda said, looking at the paper.

"I know! Isn't it horrible?" Kylie exclaimed hysterically.

"I'm really sorry. I wish I could help you more with that, but I'm not the greatest with Literature," Linda replied sheepishly. "I know, you should get yourself a tutor. How about Shigure? He's really good with Literature."

"I can't do that," Kylie said, hanging her head.

"Why not?" Linda asked.

Kylie fumbled with her words. "I dunno, awkwardness…"

A wide grin spread across Linda's face. "You like him."

"Wh-what? No, that's not it!"

Linda started doing a little chant of "You like Shigure. You want to hug him. You want to see him. You want to… "

All the while, Kylie had her hands over her ears, shaking her head side to side, frantically screaming "No! No no no no!"

Kylie threw a bottle at Linda missing her by an inch.

"Alright I'll stop." Linda laughed. "But seriously, you really should get Shigure to tutor you. It would probably cost a lot for a tutor at the school and Shigure will do it for free," Linda persuaded.

"I guess you have a point. And we have a quiz on this passage tomorrow…" Kylie sighed in defeat. "Alright, I guess I don't have much choice."

"That's the spirit," Linda said encouragingly as she shoved her cousin out the door. "Have fun." The door slammed.

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Kylie knocked on the door.

The door opened and Shigure appeared. "Ah Kylie, what brings you to my humble study?" he asked jovially.

"Well…um…I was having trouble with a class, and I was wondering if you could tutor me," Kylie replied shyly. "If it's alright, I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to."

"Of course, of course, come on in. Now, what class are you having troubles with?" Shigure asked, putting his arm around her and gently nudging her into his room.

"Well…it's Literature," Kylie told him, staring at his piles of books.

"Ah, that is right down my alley," Shigure said excitedly. "Now, let's see what the problem is and start fixing it."

Kylie sat down at the desk with him and opened her book to the passage that they were to be quizzed on the next day, explaining that she was having trouble interpreting it. Shigure went through each line with her, asking her what she thought it meant. She would tell him, and then he would gently nudge her in the right direction if needed until she found the deeper meaning.

It might not have been so bad, but she kept getting distracted every time he happened to shift and his leg would brush against hers, or fingers would manage to rake themselves over her skin as he reached over her to turn the page. Subtle touches that set her nerves on edge, and he seemed to notice and enjoyed that fact.

As their tutoring session was coming to a close, the phone rang and Shigure immediately picked it up. "Sohma residence. Uh huh…really? Oh, that's absolutely marvelous. You'll be here in the morning? Right…I'll be ready," Shigure said before hanging up the phone grinning from ear to ear. "Can you believe it Kylie? One of my books got a bestseller's award," he informed her ecstatically.

"That's wonderful, Shigure-san," Kylie said with a smile. "Well, I should probably go now." As she quickly began to stand up, her book was knocked to the floor. Instinctively, she bent down to pick it up, only to end up slamming her head against the edge of the desk.

"Kylie," Shigure exclaimed with worry but he was cut off when the recoil of smacking her head caused Kylie to fall backwards on top of him. She lay there for several moments, in a daze, clutching her throbbing head.

'Oh dear, this is not good,' Shigure thought. 'Wait…I'm not changing?'

By this time, Kylie had managed to get a hold of herself and noticed where she was. She scrambled off of him very quickly, making sure she didn't look at him. "I'm so sorry, I hope I didn't hurt you," she said, holding a hand to her head.

"No, no I'm quite all right," Shigure told her, shock covering his whole face.

"Well, I need to get going," Kylie replied, turning on her heel and running out the door.

The moment she was out of sight there was a popping noise and Shigure changed into a dog. 'Very curious…it took several minutes after the initial touch for me to change. I wonder if it was me…or her.'

Just then the phone rang. Shigure went over to the phone, picked it up with his mouth and pressed the button to put it on speakerphone. "Hello? Sohma residence."

"Shigure, it's Hatori," came the stern voice from the other end.

"Hatori, to what do I owe the pleasure of you calling me?" Shigure asked pleasantly.

POP! Shigure pulled his clothes on before sitting down at his desk. "Ah, that's much better."

"Enough playing around, Shigure. I have something very important I need to discuss with you. It involves your two American guests," Hatori said irately.

"Really? What a coincidence," Shigure replied. "I was just about to call you about them, as well."

"I assume that means you must have experienced what I did. In other words: a delayed reaction in the transformation," Hatori replied grimly.

"Yes, fascinating isn't it?" Shigure said with a soft smile. "This incident is almost unheard of."

"It's completely unheard of," Hatori corrected him. "And I believe it's something Akito should probably be informed about."

"Now now, let's not be too hasty," Shigure said in an attempt to calm. "I think we should examine this issue a little further before we let Akito know. After all, the girls haven't found out yet, have they?"

"You're playing a dangerous game, Shigure," Hatori said darkly.

"Yes, I know, but that's half the fun," he replied jokingly. Then, his voice went serious. "What I want to know is why that happened…and why so many good things have been happening for us since they arrived, while they've been through one painful experience after another."

There was silence over the phone until a sigh came from the other end. "I won't say anything for now. However, if anything happens, if either of those two comes to harm, it's on your head, Shigure." And then there was a dial tone.

"He's so depressing," Shigure said. "Does he really think I'd let something happen to them? I wouldn't go as far as hurt them…but I will be conducting a few experiments to find out what is happening."

With that he picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Ayame, could you do a favor for me? Yes, this is Shigure. I need you to conduct an experiment for me, regarding Kylie. No, no, nothing big. I just need you to…" and after a short explanation… "You will? Thank you, please tell me how it goes," Shigure said, hanging up.

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CM: Hmm, interesting. What could this turn of events possibly mean? ;P Stay tuned!


	6. Digging Around

CM: Alright, chapter six is finally up. Hooray! I would just like to take this time to thank all of those who reviewed and are giving their support. It makes me so happy that people enjoy reading my stories. Anywho, now that the sappy speech is over, time for some fruits basket!

_**CHAPTER SIX: DIGGING AROUND**_

The next day, at the end of her shift, Kylie was just about to head back home when she heard her boss calling to her. "Kylie, would you be a dear and fetch me that box of sewing supplies from the top shelf?"

"Hai, Ayame-san!" Kylie called back before going to the shelf.

The shelf was fairly tall, so she found a stepping stool and climbed her way up to get it. The box was wedged between two other boxes, so she had to pull hard to get it free. Once she finally had it loose, the inertia it took to pull it out caused her to fly backwards off the stool.

Before she could brace herself for a painful landing, she felt two slender arms wrap themselves around her waist and gently set her back down onto the floor. She turned to see that the arms belong to none other than her employer.

"Thank you, Ayame-san. That was a close one. I got the box for you."

"Thank you for your help. That's all for today," Ayame said, taking the box from her. He smiled as he watched her leave before setting the box back down. The moment he heard the door close, there was a popping noise and he transformed into a snake. 'Well Shigure was absolutely right, there is a rather long delay,' Ayame thought to himself, waiting to return to normal.

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"Kylie, Linda, could you come downstairs for a moment?" Shigure called, knocking on their door.

Linda, seeing that Kylie was obviously reluctant to open the door, did so herself.

"What is it?" She asked the writer.

"Yuki and Kyo are having a chess tournament right now, and, well, I was hoping you both might be able to cheer Kyo on. The boy always becomes sore after he loses, and I really don't want anything getting broken again."

"I dunno… what do you think Kylie?" Linda asked her cousin.

"Well, Kyo-senpai has been helping us quite a bit. Why not?" Kylie said happily.

"Alright then, let's go see who wins," Linda agreed before leading the way downstairs.

They arrived with the match in full swing, both Yuki and Kyo deep in thought over every move they made. "Wow…this is the most intense chess match I've ever seen," Linda whispered to Kylie sarcastically.

"I know, and Kyo doesn't look like he's having much luck," Kylie replied sadly.

"Well, it's not really any of our business if he wins or loses," Linda replied with a shrug before sitting against the wall. They watched as the game slowly progressed, making Kyo angrier and angrier as Yuki continued to get closer and closer to winning.

"I just know he's going to explode here any second," Linda muttered to herself.

Kylie watched and, though it was against her better judgment, she tentatively walked forward and placed a hand on Kyo's shoulder. "Um… you should just relax," she said quietly. "It's no good trying to win with aggression."

"What are you talking about? I'm completely relaxed. Besides, who asked you?" Kyo shouted.

Kylie quickly retreated. "You're right, I'm sorry."

"Now Kyo, Kylie was just giving you her support. You could at least accept it like a gentleman," Shigure admonished.

"I don't need any help to beat this stupid rat," Kyo shouted, turning back to his game.

Linda watched as the rest of the game continued to move in Kyo's favor with a frown on her face. After about 10 more minutes Kyo stood up, making everyone afraid he'll go on a rant, when all of a sudden-

"Ha, see I beat you, you stupid rat. Take that," Kyo shouted, making a fist and thrusting it into the air in triumph.

Yuki was staring between the board and Kyo in total shock and Shigure was rubbing his chin in thought.

"That's great, Kyo," Kylie said, stepping up to congratulate him, but ending up tripping and falling on top of him. Linda and Yuki both rushed forward to help at the same time, Linda running smack into Yuki, causing him to land on top of her.

"Get off me!" Kyo shouted. Then he stopped when he realized what was happening.

"I'm really sorry," Kylie said, backing away. "I just wanted to congratulate you."

Yuki, meanwhile, was hovering over Linda, surprise written all over her face, at a loss for words.

"Um… no offense, but… could you get off me?" Linda asked.

Yuki, startled by her comment, pulled back very quickly. "Ah…yes…my apologies," he stuttered, glancing from her to Kyo to his own body and back.

"We're very sorry about that, but I need to have a word with my cousin, so we'll be right back," Linda said with a forced smile, grabbing Kylie and walking out of the room and up the stairs.

The moment they heard the door slam, Yuki and Kyo both transformed, turning to stare at Shigure.

"What was that?" Kyo shouted.

"I honestly don't understand it myself," Shigure replied with his hands stretched open.

"You planned this, didn't you?" Yuki accused.

"Now, what would make you say that?" Shigure asked faking innocence.

"They didn't come down here until you suggested it," Yuki said. "And then once they're here, this fiasco occurs."

"The only way to carry out an experiment is to have test subjects," Shigure proclaimed.

"Stupid dog, we're not your damn guinea pigs!" Kyo hissed, his fur standing on end.

"I was actually referring to the girls," Shigure corrected seriously.

"What do you mean? What's going on here?" Kyo demanded, scratching his head as he and Yuki transformed back to normal.

"Well, I'm not completely sure, which is why I was experimenting. But, as I'm sure you noticed, every time something good happens to someone, those two end up having one of their clumsy moments," Shigure explained.

"Now that you mention it, I have noticed that," Yuki replied, getting dressed.

"I don't get it. I've never seen something like that," Kyo declared.

"You must be really thick to not have noticed what just happened, then," Yuki retorted.

"Shut up!" Kyo snapped back.

"Quiet, you two, this is a serious matter," Shigure said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Like you're one to talk," Yuki and Kyo both remarked.

"Are you planning on telling Akito about this?" Yuki asked darkly.

"Not just yet," Shigure told them. "I figured a few more tests first; see if we can't get to the bottom of this."

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"I can't believe you did that," Linda screeched waving her arms around. "You know we can't just go around deliberately…ngh, helping people we care about. Imagine what would happen if anyone found out. Do you realize how much trouble we'd be in? Not to mention what could happen to anyone who happens to be nearby."

"I know… I'm sorry," Kylie apologized. "But, we've been living with this for all our lives. Shouldn't we be doing something with it? I mean, there's got to be a reason for it."

"Shut up!" Linda said. "I'm sick of you talking about luck and fate and karma. Those things don't exist for us. They never have, they never will, and nothing can change that fact. Not me, not them and not you."

Kylie looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Linda took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm sorry too, but we really can't just go doing stuff like that. I don't want to see you get hurt again; you're my only family and I don't want to lose you," Linda said, giving Kylie a big hug. "Promise me you won't do that again."

"Okay… I promise," Kylie assured, hugging her cousin back.

The next week, Kylie and Linda noticed that the Sohmas had started acting a little bit too friendly with them. And they all suddenly seemed to want to know more about them. Shigure, in particular, kept trying to catch them off guard by asking them questions out of the blue.

"Somehow, I don't think this approach is getting us anywhere," Yuki told Shigure and Kyo one day. "We seem to only be scaring them off."

"Hm…well then, let's try something a little different," Shigure said with a sly grin. He waited until the middle of a study session with Kylie to try again. "So you and your cousin are pretty close," he said, glancing through her work.

"Yes, we are," Kylie answered shyly.

"What brought you two together?" he asked, making a mark on her paper.

"Well, you know how family is," Kylie said with a shrug.

"You're right, I do," Shigure said with a nod. "Though, just because you're family doesn't exactly make you close to them."

Kylie just shrugged once more in answer, avoiding his gaze.

Shigure continued reading through her work before saying, "You're doing a much better job."

"Well, it helps when you have a good tutor," Kylie said. She was about to get up from her chair but Shigure beat her to it, pulling out the chair for her and offering a hand. "You don't have to be nice to me because I'm a guest," Kylie said with embarrassment but taking the offered hand.

"It's nothing like that. I'm just being helpful," Shigure said and his smile took on a perverted tilt. "And I enjoy touching you."

Kylie could feel her cheeks warm as she stared at her feet. "So I've noticed."

"I was wondering something," Shigure started, placing a hand under her chin and lifting her face upward. "Why is it that you and Linda have such a hard time doing anything without getting injured?" he asked in a whisper.

Kylie didn't answer; her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth and her heart had accelerated. Her mind was battling back and forth on whether to tell him or not. Then, just before she snapped under the pressure, the door burst open and Linda stormed in, anger written all over her face.

"Ah, Linda what a surprise," Shigure said, letting Kylie go.

Linda didn't answer, but grabbed her cousin and marched her out of the room. Just before she went through the door as well, she turned back to look at Shigure, "If you ever try something like that on her again, I'll kill you." Then she left, slamming the door behind her.

"Well, that certainly didn't work out the way I had planned," Shigure sighed before sitting down. He had been close too: he had seen it in those fragile blue eyes. Eyes that refused to look at him. He could still remember the feel of her slender body against his. And as much as he knew he shouldn't, he longed for that feeling again.

It was risky, but he was tempted to take that risk. Very tempted. There was something about the two girls that intrigued him, Kylie in particular. He wanted to get to the bottom of it. And as far as Akito was concerned…well, what he didn't know couldn't hurt him.

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It was in the middle of November, a week after her outburst against Shigure, that Linda started speaking to him again. Ever since then, she had sat right outside the door during all of Kylie's tutoring sessions, not wanting to take any chances with him. Every once in a while, she'd find herself alone with Yuki or Kyo and had fun until they decided to bring up what happened, then she'd excuse herself without a word to either of them. Eventually, they quit asking and just left it alone.

"So what are you guys doing after school today?" Tohru asked cheerily.

"Well I've got work, but according to Hatori, I should be able to leave early today…why?" Linda asked, looking up at her.

"Well, you see, my friends are spending the night tonight and I really wanted to introduce you," Tohru explained.

"Oh, you mean those two friends you're always talking about? Coolness, can't wait to meet them," Linda said with a big grin.

"I'd love to meet them, also," Kylie agreed.

They waved goodbye to Tohru and headed off to school. Later at work, Linda was organizing the cabinets when Hatori came in, looking rather pleased. "Good news, Hatori-san?" Linda asked.

"Yes, in fact. A shipment of medical supplies arrived sooner than expected, which is just as well since I'll be needing them for the winter season."

"Well, that's cool," Linda said as she opened the next cabinet. Then, she froze when she realized what was to come. Too late. Upon opening the cabinet, a pile of books came falling down on top of her, knocking her unconscious.

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"Shigure-sama, have you seen Linda? She hasn't come back yet and she said she'd be back early," Tohru asked, rushing into Shigure's room and startling Kylie.

"Not to worry: she's with Hatori. I'm sure that if anything happened, he'd have given us a call to let us know and then…" Shigure started in an attempt to calm them down. He was cut off, however, by the sound of the phone ringing.

Shigure picked up the phone. "Ah, speak of the devil. Yes…I see… yes, that is indeed unfortunate. Alright, I'll trust you'll bring her home safe and sound." And he hung up the phone. "Apparently, Linda had an accident, so she might be a little late coming home," Shigure told them.

"That settles it, I have to go see her," Kylie said and attempted to rush out the door.

Shigure caught her hand again and forced her to stop. "There's no need to rush off like that. She's with Hatori; he's a doctor and will be able to take care of whatever happened to Linda. Plus, he promised to make sure she got home safely. There's nothing to worry about, trust me," Shigure told her encouragingly.

"But…" Kylie began to protest but she felt a soft, but calloused finger press against her lips, silencing her.

"Trust me," he said more insistently.

Kylie stood there for a moment until she bowed her head in submission. "A-alright."

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"Where am I?" Linda groaned, opening her eyes and trying to clear the fuzzies away.

"You're still in my office," Hatori replied, coming into focus. "I'm glad to see you're awake though."

"What happened?" she asked, trying to sit up but falling back as it made her head swim.

"You were caught in an avalanche of encyclopedias," Hatori explained, showing her one of them.

"No wonder my head feels like the Empire State Building fell on it," Linda said with a small laugh.

"You truly are an American," Hatori said with a sigh.

"Okay fine, whatever big building you have in Japan," she muttered in English.

"You should know, I speak English very fluently," Hatori said.

'Dang it,' she thought.

He went to the small freezer and got out an ice pack. "Try holding this against your head. It might ease some of your discomfort."

"Thanks," she mumbled, taking it and placing it against her throbbing head.

"You do seem to get into a lot of trouble, don't you?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I guess. I'm used to it by now, though," Linda muttered.

"How so?"

"Well, Kylie and I have had things like this happen since before we can remember," Linda explained, wincing.

"Why is that?" he pressed.

"We just tend to have a lot of clumsy moments."

"I see," Hatori replied disappointed. "I heard from Shigure that you're rather protective of your cousin…more so than most people. Why is that?"

"I never really noticed. It's just always been her and me, so I guess it's just a natural instinct," Linda replied.

"What happened to the rest of your family?" Hatori asked curiously.

"We just don't get along."

"If you do not wish to talk about it, I understand. I'm just concerned for you safety." Hatori could sympathize. Relations amongst the Sohma family were unstable at best, especially where members of the zodiac were concerned. Close bonds between members of the family were exceedingly rare. It was mostly cold tolerance of each other.

"Heh, there's no reason to be. It's not like I'm going to end up seriously hurt," Linda said, rolling her eyes.

"You do seem to have most of your clumsy moments after someone has something good happen to them. What would happen if someone won the lottery?" Hatori asked, raising an eyebrow.

Linda didn't reply, instead she looked in the opposite direction and closed her eyes. "Nothing would…what would make you say that?" Linda finally asked, turning back to look at him with a smile.

"I've had unusually good luck ever since you came," Hatori began.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Linda asked, still smiling.

"Not if it's at the pain of someone else," he said gravely.

"As long as I can help you and see you smile, I really don't care what happens to me," Linda replied before she passed out from over-exertion.

Hatori brushed away the fringe of bangs gently. "I remember…." He murmured softly. "She said the same thing."

About an hour or so later Linda woke up again and, with some help from Hatori, got into his car, heading back to Shigure's house. When they arrived, the house was in an uproar as Kyo and Uotani were in a heated argument.

"Well, at least it's never boring," Linda said with a sheepish grin.

"I don't think that's really a good thing," Hatori replied. Then he helped her up to and through the door, making the argument stop in its tracks.

"Sorry I'm late, guys. I had a little accident," Linda said with a sheepish grin, scratching the back of her head, Hatori standing right behind her.

"Well, what matters is that you're home, safe and sound," Shigure said with a smile.

"Linda!" Kylie said, glomping her cousin.

"Ack, easy! I've been injured once today already: I don't need any help from you," Linda told her.

"Oh, sorry. Well, come on and meet everyone," Kylie said, tugging her over to where Tohru and her two friends sat.

"They really are quite close aren't they?" Hatori asked as Shigure walked up.

"It would seem that way," Shigure said, watching the pair. His gaze lingered over Kylie who was showing Linda the clay figurines the four girls had been working on for the past hour.

"I've got a feeling that they're going to get themselves into a lot of trouble…whether on purpose or not is still to be seen," Hatori said, remembering the 'interview'.

"Come now, Hatori, don't be such a downer. I'm sure they know what they're doing," Shigure replied, throwing Hatori's worry out the window.

"I just hope you know what it is you're doing," Hatori said, giving his cousin a hard look. "Linda told me the other day about what you did."

"Oh that, I was just having a bit of fun," Shigure assured.

"Shigure," Hatori said seriously. "I would suggest you avoid taking your game too far. I was only in the same room with her for five minutes, and I could tell by that alone that she doesn't need anymore grief."

"Oh, no worries. Linda already told me not to do that again," Shigure answered with a smile. "I'm not about to, not with the threat she gave, anyway." Hatori couldn't help but grin a little at this, she had told him what happened, and then, reluctantly how she dealt with it. "I've already done every experiment I can think of and I still can't figure out who they are. I'm starting to wonder if we'll ever know unless they tell us."

"In any case, I must return to the Sohma house," Hatori said, turning to leave.

"Have a good night then," Shigure bid his cousin farewell. He turned back to watch the girls and Linda had started making some sculpture of her own. Shigure smirked. He promised he wouldn't try to gain information from Kylie in that way again…but as far as everything else went, he promised nothing.

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CM: Ooooh… just what IS Shigure planning? And will the Sohmas discover the girls' big secret? Stay tuned!


	7. A New Friend

A NEW FRIEND

The night continued with games laughter and Uo and Kyo fighting every once in a while. Hana kept glancing over at Kylie and Linda and made extra care to keep as far away from them as possible, though she did talk to them pleasantly enough. Linda was very mellow and didn't participate in many of the events but decided to watch instead. At one point Yuki made a comment about the way Kyo played 'Rich man Poor man' which started a huge fight.

"Will you two knock it off?" Linda said hitting both of them on the head. "I'm sick of hearing you guys argue….it's making my headache even worse."

They both stared at her flabbergasted. In fact, everyone was staring at her and she suddenly felt very self conscious. But the tension broke when Kylie began to giggle, and then her giggles turned into laughter. And when she didn't stop laughing, some of the others began to laugh too without really knowing why. Even Linda joined in but only half-heartedly. It was just an hour later when Linda decided to turn in and, since it was still pretty early, she asked Kylie if she was going to as well.

"You're going to bed already, how come?" Uo asked raising an eyebrow.

"My head still hurts and I figure that it'll just get worse if I stay up too much later. So I'm just going now," Linda explained heading for the stairs and then stopping to see if Kylie was going to come along or not.

"Yeah, I'm a little tired myself," Kylie yawned.

"Come on, this is a sleepover," Uo said. "That means you're supposed to stay up all night long."

"Not everyone wants to stay up and listen to you talk," Kyo muttered.

"What did you say, you orange haired punk?" Uo said rounding on him.

"I said you have an obnoxious voice!"

"Yep, we'll just be going now," Kylie said easing her way out of the room with Linda. "It was nice meeting you both."

"We'll see you in the morning," Linda said before heading to her room. "I'm sorry I didn't get back when I was supposed to….I really did try though. How did things go in your study session? Are you getting everything?"

"Yeah, Shigure is a good tutor," Kylie said with a nod.

"He's not bugging you anymore, is he?" Linda asked her intently.

"No, he didn't. He even apologized the next day, so there really isn't any reason to stay angry at him. He was just curious."

"I felt something more than just curiosity. I don't know what it was but something about him that day made me feel like you were in trouble. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you around to help," Linda said smiling.

"You never told me what happened back with Hatori-san," Kylie reminded her.

"Oh I guess I didn't huh. Well I was putting things away when Hatori got some good news. Just after that I got hit with an avalanche of Encyclopedias," Linda explained opening the door to their room. Kylie's eyes widened. "Oh, stop looking at me like that, I'm fine," Linda told her.

"Do you remember anything after that?" Kylie asked.

"Not really," Linda murmured. "It's all one big blur, really. I do remember waking up at one point and having Hatori say he was fluent in English because I said something....how did he put it….oh yeah, American," Linda said with a laugh plopping down on her bed and regretting that decision.

"What did you say?" Kylie asked curiously.

"I said my head felt like it got hit by the Empire State building…and then I went and said 'Fine whatever big building is in Japan'. I said that part in English which is why he commented. After that…I really don't remember anything. I guess I hit my head harder than I thought," Linda chuckled.

Kylie did the same. "It sounds like you two are getting along very well."

"Don't even go there cousin," Linda warned her. "You're in no position to talk."

"I've already told you it's not like that," Kylie said pouting.

"Yeah, yeah I've seen the way you look at him….or should I say around him. You get all pink in the cheeks and your breathing gets heavy," Linda accused smiling. "It's obvious you like him."

"No, that's not how it is. He's my tutor and that's all there is too it," Kylie declared holding her hands to her face.

"Keep telling yourself that," Linda said lying back in her pillow and taking a few deep steadying breaths.

"Besides, it's not like anything will happen," Kylie mumbled lying down. "He'd never look at me that way."

Linda looked at her cousin. "Come on… don't say that. Sure we don't have any sort of luck but you never know….he may look at you more than you know," Linda said trying to cheer her up. "Of course how are you going to know unless you actually look at him once in a while?" She earned herself a pillow to the face for that one but laughed about it anyway.

"I try to but…" Kylie faltered.

"But?" Linda pressed.

"I just don't want to get my hopes up… and that's what looking at him does," Kylie finally said.

"So don't, but at least show him your respect by looking at him when you talk, if nothing else," Linda scolded.

"I view him with the utmost respect," Kylie said defensively.

"You don't VIEW him at all," Linda said shaking her head.

"I'll… I'll try, okay? But I can't promise anything," Kylie said turning over.

"Well at least trying is better than ignoring," Linda said. "Now let's get some sleep, I don't know about you but I'm having trouble staying awake." With that she turned over and fell asleep almost immediately.

The next day Linda and Kylie stopped by the store to pick up some groceries before heading back to the Sohma house. At one of the stoplights, though the light had turned green, one of the cars wasn't stopping and a woman had stepped out into the street. Kylie and Linda instinctively grabbed the woman and pulled her back out of the street just as the car zoomed by.

"Think you're going fast enough there buddy?" Linda called angrily.

"Are you alright?" Kylie asked the lady who looked rather shaken.

"Ah…yes…I'm alright," the woman replied staring at the street. "Thank you for helping me."

"It's fine, just pay closer attention, will you," Linda said pressing the cross button.

Suddenly the woman grabbed her by the arms and started shouting at the top of her lungs. "I'M SORRY. I CAUSED YOU TROUBLE BY NOT PAYING ATTENTION. I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON, I SHOULD DIE NOW TO MAKE UP FOR THE TROUBLE I CAUSED."

Linda was flinching as the woman continued to scream her apologies and tried very hard to make her let go. "You don't have to shout or apologize," Linda said attempting to get her to stop.

Kylie grasped her by the shoulders and gently pulled her off of Linda. "Hi, my name is Kylie. And this here is Linda. What's your name?"

"Oh… um, it's Ritsu Sohma," she answered in a soft voice.

"Sohma? So are you related to Shigure-san?" Kylie asked.

"Yes, I was on my way to visit but I for some reason haven't been able to find it."

"Oh, are you lost?"

She lost it again. "YES! I GOT LOST! I SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR DIRECTION BUT I DIDN'T! I'M SO SORRY!"

Kylie seized her once more by the shoulders and began gently kneading them in order to calm the hysterical person down. Surprisingly it worked.

"How did you know that would calm her down?" Linda asked her.

"I didn't, I took a stab in the dark," Kylie told her. "And he's a male, by the way."

"How do you know that?" Linda asked surprised.

"I work in Ayame's shop," Kylie answered.

"That would do it," Linda replied with a little shiver.

"Look…Ritsu…we're headed back to Shigure's right now. If you want you can come with us and you'll get there in no time," Linda told him.

"Would you really do that for me?" Ritsu asked his eyes shining. Linda nodded but immediately regretted it as Ritsu went off yet again. "I'M SORRY I'M SUCH A BURDEN. I'VE TROUBLED YOU AGAIN BY HAVING YOU LEAD ME TO SHIGURE'S HOUSE. I'M SUCH A HORRIBLE PERSON I SHOULD DIE," Ritsu shouted.

"Look…you can come with us and it wouldn't be any trouble at all. Just don't do that again okay," Linda said holding up her hands.

"Poor thing, I just want to huggle him," Kylie said as Ritsu accompanied them back to the house.

"Honestly, I just want to punch him," Linda muttered.

"You're so cold, Lin-lin," Kylie admonished.

"I told you not to call me that," Linda muttered staring at the sky. "Let's just get back so we can end this fiasco."

They got back to the house and Shigure was rather surprised at Ritsu's unexpected arrival. "Oh, I see you both have met Ritsu. I hope he didn't cause you both too much trouble."

"I'M SORRY! I APOLOGIZE FOR CAUSING TROUBLE! I APOLOGIZE TO THE WORLD!"

Shigure gave Ritsu a sharp poke in the side and Ritsu immediately was sedated. "And that, girls, is all it takes," Shigure said raising his finger into the air.

"That's a neat trick. Remind me to use that the next time he starts up," Linda whispered to Kylie.

"Ah Ritsu, I thought I heard you out here. It's good to see you again," Tohru said happily coming into the room.

"It's nice to see you again too, Miss Honda," Ritsu replied with a warm smile.

"He's so cute," Kylie said with hearts bubbling up from her.

Linda gave her a dead pan stare. "There's something wrong with you."

"Hey Ritsu, have you ever thought about coming around Ayame-san's shop?" Kylie asked him. "I know some outfits that would look really cute on you."

"Oh, that would be so sweet," Tohru said with a small giggle.

"THAT WOULD TROUBLE AYAME TOO MUCH. I COULDN'T DO THAT," Ritsu started.

Then Linda took that time to try Shigure's technique and sedated him in an instant. "Wow that really does work," Linda said looking at her finger.

"You really should go Ritsu, it should be fun," Shigure said encouragingly. Ritsu nodded his consent and then they went to the dining room for lunch. "Oh by the way Linda, Kylie, we were planning a trip to a ski resort come December and were wondering if you would like to join us," Shigure said with a smile.

"Skiing? Sounds like fun, count me in," Linda replied with a smile.

Kylie stood silent for a moment. "Kylie, would you be so kind as to grace us with your presence as well?" Shigure asked her.

Kylie took a deep breath before looking up and making direct eye contact with Shigure. "I-I'd love to," she answered beaming.

Linda grinned at her cousin's accomplishment and Shigure was thrown for a loop as she looked at him. "I'm glad you'll both be coming with us," Shigure replied as he smiled back warmly.

"See, I told you he'd like that," Linda whispered to Kylie with a small laugh.

Kylie gave an embarrassed laugh and looked away once more. During lunch Kylie and Linda became more acquainted with Ritsu with a little outburst every now and then that either Shigure or Linda would halt depending on who got there first.

After Kylie was done eating, she said, "Well, I'm off to work!"

"You'll be missed," Shigure said in an overdramatic voice. "The house will be dark and cold without your light to--"

He was cut off by Linda thwapping him on the head. "Oh shut it."

Kylie couldn't help but laugh before turning to the cross dressing Sohma. "Ritsu-san, why don't you come along with?"

Ritsu looked at her for a moment before smiling and nodding his consent. He stood up and followed her out the door and Linda waited for another outburst but none came.

"Whew, well at least he's calmed down," she muttered to no one in particular.

"Don't you need to get to work too?" Tohru asked worried.

"Nope, Hatori gave me the day off to make sure I recover properly," Linda explained leaning against the wall in a relaxed position.

"Really, that's wonderful," Tohru said.

"Yep, and now I'm gonna go for a nice hot bath," Linda said exiting the room with a small wave. "Later."

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"Ah, Kylie, always on time," Ayame commended extravagantly as Kylie walked through the door with Ritsu. "Though what else would I expect from one of my own?"

"Good afternoon, Ayame-san," Kylie greeted. "I brought someone special along. I hope you don't mind."

"No of course not, bring whomever you like," Ayame exclaimed with many a flamboyant gesture.

"I'M SORRY. I'M A BOTHER TO YOU SO I'LL JUST LEAVE AND NOT DARKEN YOUR DOORWAY AGAIN," Ritsu shouted and then moved to turn around but was stopped by Kylie using 'The Magic Touch'.

"Don't be silly Ritsu you are always welcome at my shop. Come let's see if we can't find something for you to wear," Ayame said walking toward him looking up and down thinking of what to use.

"Um, if I might suggest," Kylie spoke up diffidently. "I thought that Ritsu-san might look very cute in an angel costume."

"Yes…" Ayame said, his eyes lighting up with inspiration. "Yes, I can see it now! The shy awkwardness, the forlorn expression of an angel fallen from heaven. Spectacular!" Kylie beamed, happy that she could be of help.

In moments Ayame had an angel costume out and was holding it up to Ritsu to make sure it would fit. Then he had Mimi take him into the back room to put it on. A few minutes later Ritsu walked out with angel wings, blushing cheeks and all.

"Yes, that's absolutely perfect," Ayame exclaimed. "What do you think Kylie?"

"He's so adorable," Kylie said resisting the urge to squee.

This in turn caused Ritsu to smile appreciatively. "You really think so?"

"Definitely," Kylie said nodding. "You look very cute, Ritsu-san."

"Yes, I do agree," Ayame said with a nod placing a hand on her shoulder. "And it was all thanks to your magnificent suggestion. I must say, you've come a long way since you first started working here. I might just have to give you a promotion."

"Please, that's not necessary," Kylie assured him.

"But it is. When one does good work they must be rewarded for it. Now you will work directly under Mimi," Ayame declared throwing his hand into the air. "Ritsu, for today I would like you to stand outside in that outfit and bring as many people inside as possible."

Ritsu's eyes widened in panic. "But what if I trip and fall and the outfit gets RUINED AND IT WILL BE WASTED AND--" Poke!

After Ritsu was calmed down once more by Kylie, she placed both of her hands on his shoulders and smiled reassuringly at him. "You don't have to worry. That's what we have washing machines for."

"Yes, not to worry just go out there and do your best," Ayame said encouragingly. Ritsu looked at the confidence he had and then nodded before making his way outside. "I know he'll do a magnificent job," Ayame murmured softly. "All he needs is a little….push….and some confidence wouldn't hurt either."

"Yeah… I could go for some of that," Kylie murmured.

"The push or the confidence?" Ayame said placing his hands on her shoulders. "Or I can provide you with both."

Kylie turned slightly pink but she gave a nervous laugh before saying, "Maybe I should go help Mimi out now."

He watched her leave, tripping as she went, with a confused expression, "What did I do?"

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CM: Hehe, ah you gotta love Ritsu. He's just so adorable. Next chapter, the girls go on a ski trip with the Sohmas. Stay tuned!


	8. Fun in the Snow

**_FUN IN THE SNOW_**

Time flew on swift wings and in no time at all it was time for the winter trip to the ski resort. Linda and Kylie were all packed and ready to go and waited for the others along with Tohru. "Wow…I always thought that girls took a long time to pack. These guys are taking forever. And where are...Momiji and Haru right...yeah, where are they? I figured they'd be here by now," Linda complained leaning against the wall in boredom.

"This is going to be so much fun," Kylie said excitedly. "I just hope nothing bad happens, like..."

"Don't you dare," Linda said dangerously.

Tohru, Kyo, And Yuki came down shortly afterwards. "Sorry, it's been taking us so long," Yuki apologized.

"Oh it's no problem," Kylie assured. "But we were wondering when…"

"Hel-lo!" A high pitched voice called into the house and suddenly a small blonde boy came skipping into the room followed by a white and black haired kid. Upon seeing Kylie and Linda his face lit up. "You're the new girls, right?" He didn't wait for an answer before running up to Kylie and glomping her. "It's nice to finally meet you!"

Yuki and Tohru tensed up while Kyo grabbed the back of the blonde boy's shirt dragging him to the other room. "Waah, Kyo's being mean," the child cried out.

"What was that about?" Linda asked standing up. She turned and her eyes caught those of the boy with white and black hair. He stared at her for a few seconds before hugging her as well. Linda tensed up and blinked several times in surprise. Then Yuki came over and told him that they needed to talk for a moment, the boy followed Yuki noiselessly out of the room and Linda exchanged glances with Kylie.

After a few minutes the boys came back into the room. "Once more, we apologize," Yuki said politely. "Our cousins can be rather odd at times."

"That's alright," Kylie said smiling. "Everyone is a little odd in one way or another. That's what makes us all special."

"Well, I have the car packed," Shigure said coming in. "Is everyone ready?"

"Hai!" They all said together.

They all piled into the large car keeping the girls from getting too close to the boys. Then all at once they started on their way. "So which one is Momiji and which one is Haru?" Linda asked looking between the two boys.

"I'm Momiji, silly," the small blonde boy answered joyfully. "And this is Haru," he added pointing at the boy with white and black hair.

"Okay….that's a good thing to have squared away," Linda replied with an embarrassed smile.

"So how did you two end up living with these guys?" Momiji asked curiously.

"Well, we're taking part of a study abroad program," Kylie explained. "When we accidentally lost all of our money..."

"Shoot," Linda thought.

"...we got evicted from our apartment..."

"Crap," Linda thought with a little wince.

"...I met Shigure previously from my English class he was substituting for, and he invited us to stay at his place. He even got me a job with Ayame-san, and Linda got a job with Hatori-san."

"That wasn't so bad," Linda thought with a smile.

"Oh, I knew that part," Momiji said brightly. "Hatori talks about Linda almost all the time." Linda blushed heavily and tried to ignore the comment. "I haven't seen Hatori this happy about someone since Kana worked with him," Momiji added making the other Sohma's freeze.

"Who was Kana?" Linda asked curiously.

"She was his previous helper," Yuki explained while Haru kept Momiji's mouth shut.

"Umm...okay," Linda replied raising an eyebrow at their reactions.

Kylie was laughing softly and Linda elbowed her. Kylie pulled out a sketch pad from her bag and began drawing something. "What's that?" Momiji asked with interest.

"Oh, it's nothing really," Kylie said before continuing her work. Haru tried to silently sneak a quick glimpse at it but Kylie hid it from view and shook her head. "Ah ah, no looking."

"Just one peak?" He requested in an expressionless voice.

"I get embarrassed when people watch me," Kylie said not looking at him. "Silly I know."

The group fell into silence as they watched Kylie drawing unsure of what it could be. Not long after Linda fell asleep...her head on the door and her mouth hanging open. "She's asleep? I didn't think we were that boring," Momiji said sadly.

"Don't worry she does that every time she's on a long trip," Kylie explained making Momiji feel a little better.

"Must be nice to be able to sleep just about anywhere," Yuki said looking over in their direction.

"Well, we've both pretty much gotten used to that sort of thing, really," Kylie told them.

"Meaning?" Yuki asked.

"Well, we've been in enough undesirable situations to where we've learned how to deal with a lot of things," Kylie said smiling.

"It sounds like you and your cousin have seen some fairly harsh times," Shigure commented glancing over at her.

"Yeah...At the time, we would get so frustrated. But looking back on them now, it's rather funny."

"You laugh at your own hardship?" Yuki asked surprised.

"Yeah, it's better than always looking at it like it's something horrible. We always try to look at the silver lining in every situation," Kylie explained with a bright smile.

"It's nice to be able to see the good in what's around you," Haru said impressed.

"Yeah, I always try doing that too...though it does get hard every once in a while," Momiji expressed sadly.

"I know it does," Kylie said looking back at him and giving him an affectionate rub on the head. "But you just have to try to remember that no matter how bad things get, they get better...eventually." After that, the group sank into a peaceful silence. Once they got to the ski resort, everyone except for Shigure got their ski gear on.

"You're not going to ski at all Shigure?" Tohru asked him.

"No, I think I'll just relax in the lodge, but you all have fun." Shigure told them.

"All right, I'll race you to the bunny slope Kylie," Linda said grabbing her skis and running out the door. She was followed by Kyo and Haru who were having a race of their own.

"I want to ski with Tohru," Momiji said in his little kid voice.

"Um...okay," Tohru replied heading out the door as well.

"Let's have lots of fun," Kylie said to Yuki.

"Ah, yes of course," Yuki said with a smile and the two of them went out as well.

"Alone at last," Shigure sighed. "Now I can see if I can't get to working on that novel."

Outside Linda was already putting her skis on….and having trouble with it. "Is this your first time skiing?" Haru asked looking at the job she'd done putting her skis on.

"Yeah it is, but I'm sure I can figure this out in no time," Linda replied standing up and then tripping over herself. Haru bent down and helped her fix the straps holding her feet in.

"That's how it works," he said standing back up and offering his hand to give me support.

"Thanks," Linda muttered grabbing his hand and standing up. "It feels so weird with these things on."

"You get used to it pretty quickly," Momiji said already sliding around with his skis on.

"Are you sure you don't need any help, Miss Kylie?" Yuki asked her seeing Kyo was already helping Tohru.

"I think I got it," Kylie said trying to snap the ski shut but only managing to get her fingers pinched. "Ouch!"

"Here..." Yuki said bending down and adjusting them. "There... that should do it."

Kylie smiled. He really was in several ways like his brother, even though he didn't want to admit it. "Thanks."

It took about twenty minutes but Linda and Kylie were soon moving around on their own fairly easily. About an hour passed and they even managed to move off the bunny hill onto longer slopes. "I never thought I'd enjoy skiing this much," Linda said pulling off a turn...but only barely. "How are you doing Kylie?" she asked looking for her cousin.

She came to a stop when she watched her cousin do a face plant in the snow for the umpteenth time. "I'm having great fun!" Kylie told her happily, pulling herself back up.

"What the heck--?" Linda began.

"I was helping Tohru out earlier," Kylie explained. "And Momiji and Haru were hanging pretty close by too."

Linda sighed heavily, "You weren't doing it on purpose again were you?"

"No, I promised I wouldn't," Kylie replied hurt.

"I was just making sure that's all. It's not like I don't trust you or anything," Linda amended holding her hands up. "It's just not fun seeing you get hurt because of it."

"I know," Kylie said wiping the snow off of her frostbitten face. "I think once we get down this hill I'm going to go to the lodge and rest for a bit. What about you?"

Linda thought for a moment. "I think I'll go on a few more slopes first. I really think I'm getting the hang of this."

"Alright," Kylie accepted. Once they got back down to the bottom, before they parted ways, Kylie told her, "If anything happens, just call me, okay?"

"No problem," Linda said nodding before going off to ski some more.

Kylie managed to detach her skis before making her way over to the lodge. She stepped inside and sighed as warm air washed over her.

"Oh, finished already Kylie?" Shigure asked from his armchair by the fire. She just looked at him, her face red from the cold and her clothes were wet from the snow. "You appear to have crawled out of an avalanche," he said with a laugh. "Come sit by the fire and have some hot coffee."

"That's not very nice Shigure-san," Kylie said with a playful pout but went over and sat down next to him on the couch accepting a warm cup of coffee. She set it on the coffee table in order to take her gloves off. Once she did, and began reaching for the coffee.

Shigure suddenly stopped her. "You should let your hands warm up first," he told her, taking one of her frozen hands in his and gently rubbing it between his own to get the blood flow going. "It's not good to allow your blood to get so hot after being cold for so long."

Kylie blushed and smiled down at her hand. "I didn't know you were knowledgeable about the human body."

"Growing up with Hatori can have a large influence on how much you understand about the human body," Shigure told her as he continued to warm her hands. After a while he said, "That should do it," and let go of her hands before sitting back in his chair. "So did you have fun skiing out there?"

"Yeah, I fell down a lot, but even that was fun in its own way," Kylie told him as she took a sip from her mug.

Shigure chuckled. "You certainly have an interesting perspective on things."

"Well, I'd like to thank you for inviting us on this trip," Kylie said gratefully.

"It was my pleasure," Shigure said with a smile.

"Though is it true that you ran away from your editor?" Kylie asked with a small laugh.

"Of course not," Shigure said with an indignant pout. "I just take vacations once in a while and forget to tell her about them. But no one ever seems to believe me."

"You poor thing," Kylie said with a shake of her head.

"Yes, woe is my dilemma," he said dramatically.

"Well, don't worry," she said patting him on the arm. "I believe you."

"Do you really believe? Can you believe? Do you dare to believe?" Shigure asked with a suddenly very serious voice.

Kylie stared at him for several moments. Could she believe anything he told her? No matter how crazy it sounded? Did she really trust him that much? "Yes," she answered softly.

"Yay, I'm glad you trust me that much. I was a little worried there for a moment," Shigure said gesturing flamboyantly with his hands and reverting back to his old self. "You must really trust you cousin, to leave her out there by herself. I mean she does seem to get into a lot of trouble on her own and something could happen while she's out there."

"She's a lot more careful than I am, so I'm not too worried," Kylie told him. "That's why I usually get into trouble with her a lot. Whenever I do something stupid she'll give me a good scolding, so in that respect, she's like an older sister to me. Which is good cause even though I'm the one who gets all the good grades, she's the one who uses her head most of the time while me..."

"Oh you use your head quite often as well," Shigure cut in. "You are book smart but you also use your head in real life situations as well. I've noticed that it's you who bails Linda out when the going gets tough." He moved forward a bit and a smile lit his face. "Neither one is better than the other, you have your special qualities and Linda has hers. You are the one that keeps her smiling, without you she looks like she'd have gone into depression a long time ago."

Kylie could feel her cheeks warming from something other than the fire place. "I'm not sure if I did THAT much," she said looking away towards the fire and remember back when the two of them were younger. "I mean, she's a lot stronger than I am. I don't see how she would possibly need me, or how anyone would for that matter."

"Well, even if she doesn't...I do," Shigure said his face dangerously close to hers. "I'm very glad that you are here with me." His face moved in closer and closer as Kylie's face grew redder and her heartbeat accelerated.

Just before their lips reached, there was a pause as Kylie's phone started to ring. She grabbed it instantly grateful for a reason to stop and turn away from him. "Hello," she said breathlessly into the phone.

"Hey Kylie...it's me. Could you send someone up here please?" Linda asked in an embarrassed voice.

"What happened?" Kylie asked immediately worried.

"Well, you see..." Linda said with a laugh. "It's kind of funny really...I-- hey!"

The next few words were spoken by an irate sounding Kyo. "She broke her ankle."

"What?" Kylie exclaimed.

There was a smacking sound and then Kylie heard Yuki's voice. "We're not really sure if it's broken or not, only that she can't stand on it. So, if you could get someone up here that would help tremendously."

"What hill are you on?"

"The fourth."

"Got it," Kylie said before hanging up the phone. "I'm sorry but, I need to go."

"Oh I understand," Shigure replied weakly with Chibi tears running down his cheeks. After she was out the door, Shigure pouted. "Just when it was getting fun, too."

CM: Bwahaha! I'm such a teaser. :P Anyway, tune in next time to see more fun and fluff all around ^_^


	9. The More the Merrier

**_THE MORE THE MERRIER… YEAH, RIGHT_**

Kylie left and found the medical team in no time at all. Then she went with them to hill four where Kyo, Yuki, Haru, Momiji and Linda waited. Linda was sitting in the snow with both her skis off and her right foot buried in the snow. "Are you the one hurt?" the medical man asked kneeling next to Linda.

"Yep, that's me," Linda told him grimacing as he pulled her leg out of the snow. 'No I just had my foot in the snow because I like having soggy socks,' she thought to herself.

"It's not as swelled up as it might have been...sticking it in the snow was a good idea," the medical man said taking off Linda's boot.

"I'm sorry, Lin," Kylie said kneeling down next to her. "If I hadn't..."

"Oh, don't start blaming yourself," Linda interrupted her. "I was careless."

Kylie attempted a smile. "You gonna be okay?"

"Come on, this is me we're talking about."

"Her ankle doesn't appear broken," the medical man said after examining it. "However, we'll need to take her to the medical center and get it fixed up. Will you boys help me get her onto the sled?" he asked grabbing a bandage from his sled and carefully wrapping Linda's ankle. "Does that feel too tight?"

"No…that should be alright," Linda replied with a wince. Once that was settled, Haru and Kyo both took one of Linda's arms while the medical man carefully grabbed her legs and together they hoisted her onto the back of the sled. Then the man took care to make sure she was strapped in properly before he and Kylie clambered back onto the sled and bid their farewell to the others. It took about ten minutes to reach the lodge but that was more than enough time in Linda's opinion. By the time they got back her ankle hurt really bad and she was having trouble moving it.

Kylie waited in the waiting room until the doctor came out and she stood up waiting for him to give her the report. "Her ankle was not broken, it was merely a fracture. However, she won't be able to do anything on it for a while. I'd give it a couple weeks at least. A month at most."

"Thank you, doctor," Kylie said with a bow. A few minutes later Linda came out on crutches with her ankle in a splint.

"I sure did it this time huh. Now I won't be able to ski for the rest of the trip," Linda complained as she limped over.

"I can't see how you managed to do that in the first place," Kylie said shaking her head.

"Well…I'm not really sure either...though I suppose it might have something to do with bumping into someone on my way up to the top of the hill. As for the ankle itself all I did was hit a tiny rock with my right ski on the way down and it jerked the ski enough to mess with my ankle and I fell," Linda explained with a sheepish grin. "Kind of stupid huh, done in by a pebble."

"That was one mean pebble," Kylie said shaking her head. "Well, let's get you back to the lodge for some hot cocoa."

"Sounds good to me," Linda said with a grin.

Kylie helped her cousin over to the lodge where everyone else was waiting to see how Linda was. Everyone wanted to make sure that she was alright and expressed their concern. Even Kyo grudgingly told her that he hoped she got better because a bad leg was bad for martial arts training.

Linda grinned back and promised to get her leg back to normal as fast as possible. "As soon as it's better I'm going to wipe the floor with you while sparring," Linda declared giving Kyo's arm a light punch. Then she hobbled over to the reclined and put her foot up sighing at the relief in pressure.

"Here I got you some Cocoa," Tohru said handing Linda a steaming glass of the chocolaty substance.

"Thanks Tohru," Linda said blowing on her drink before taking a sip. "Hmmm...that's...really...good."

She took another drink and in the middle of her sip, Ayame came bursting into the cabin wearing a luxurious looking fur coat. "Hello everyone!" He announced causing Linda to spew out the mouthful of cocoa she had before choking on what had managed to go down.

"Ayame-san, I didn't think you would come," Kylie said looking rather pleased.

"Though I don't fair well against the cold elements, I figured I ought to pay you all a visit, and I couldn't pass up the chance to ski with my one and only little brother." Ayame said as if his presence was a blessing that all of them should be grateful for.

Yuki, Kyo, and Linda all stared at him with a mixture of annoyance and surprise. "You planned this didn't you Shigure," Yuki accused turning on him.

"Oh now what would give you that idea. I was just speaking to him earlier and happened to mention that we were all up here," Shigure replied playfully.

"He definitely had this planned," Yuki and Kyo thought at the same time.

"Ah Shigure, it has been a long time has it not. You haven't been a bad boy while I was away, have you?" Ayame asked looking at Shigure with what looked like possessiveness.

"Of course not Aaya, no one could ever replace you," Shigure replied as they embraced each other.

Linda shuddered at this display of affection and Kyo and Yuki were looking daggers at the two. "I didn't know Shigure-san swung that way," Kylie exclaimed in wonderment.

"You do know they're just messing around right?" Linda whispered to her.

"Oh, really? That's so cute," Kylie said in adoration.

"Cute??" Yuki and Kyo thought at the same time.

Linda held a sign over Kylie's head that read: Yaoi fan girl.

"Ayame, you're not causing another commotion, are you?" Hatori asked walking into the cabin and shutting the door behind him.

"I would never dream of it, Hatori," Ayame told him seriously... Well, as seriously as he could, being Ayame.

Upon seeing Hatori arrive, Linda thought, 'Well, I guess good news always comes with the bad.'

"Well, I guess we can sort of relax now," Kyo muttered plopping down into one of the chairs.

"Why's that?" Linda asked curiously.

"Hatori's the only one who Ayame will listen to," Yuki explained with a sigh.

"Well in that case, hoosha," Linda replied taking another drink from her mug.

"I assume you are going to explain what happened?" Hatori said glancing over at Linda's leg propped up and bandaged.

"Of course, Hatori, I would never dream of leaving you in the dark," Shigure replied happily.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Kylie suddenly exclaimed looking at Linda. "We still haven't given them their... you know..."

"Oh, yeah," Linda said with a laugh. "Mind getting mine for me?"

"No problem," she said dashing out of the room. They all stared after her before turning to Linda with question looks on their faces.

She ignored their glances and focused entirely on her drink until Kylie came back with a large number of parcels in her arms. She put half of them in Linda's lap and with the other half turned to the others. "Merry Christmas everybody," she shouted giving everyone a parcel of their own.

"I'd get up and hand them out as well but that's kind of hard right now so I'll just call your name and you can come get it," Linda said picking up the first one on her lap and reading the name on the card.

Pretty soon there was wrapping paper all over the place and each Sohma, and Tohru, had a shirt and a carving in their hands. The exceptions were Haru and Momiji. Since Kylie and Linda hadn't known the two for long, but wanting to keep the animal theme going, they represented the two by the first impressions they had gotten. They finally got to find out what Kylie had been working on. Turns out she had drawn a portrait of both of them. Except instead of having normal shadows, Haru's shadow took the shape of a cow, while Momiji's took on the shape of a rabbit.

When they both looked at her she shrugged and told them, "I got the idea from Lin." Linda, while in the infirmary, had carved a small cow figurine for Haru, and a rabbit for Momiji.

Haru stared at his picture some more before saying, "Man... I look awesome."

"Thanks," Momiji squealed and tried to glomp them but Kyo caught the back of his shirt.

"What was this for again?" Kyo asked staring at his cat drawing and shirt with a cat on it.

"It's Christmas of course...you guys do celebrate Christmas..don't you?" Linda asked feeling foreign once again.

"Never heard of it," Kyo replied.

"I think I've heard of it. That's an American holiday, isn't it?" Yuki asked them.

Kylie and Linda both looked at each other. "Well... not specifically," Linda muttered. Neither of them had predicted that the Sohma's wouldn't know about Christmas.

Kylie coughed. "Well, in any case, we made all of these for you in order to show you our appreciation for everything you've done for us."

"Think of them as our thank you gifts," Linda added glancing around the room at the different expressions.

"Wow Hatori...I...like your...dragon," Shigure said glancing over Hatori's shoulder at the dragon on his shirt and snickering.

"Is there something wrong with it?" Kylie asked feeling put down.

"No…there's nothing wrong with it. I just think it's absolutely amazing," Shigure replied snickering. Then he grabbed it away from Hatori and turned it around to show everyone. It was a real Chinese dragon, snakelike and very cool-looking. Yuki and the others looked at it like there was no way that was his gift and Tohru realized why Shigure was laughing.

"I think you've had quite enough fun, Shigure," Hatori said taking the shirt back and putting it away along with his carving.

"We should get marshmallows," Kylie suggested suddenly.

"Marshmallows?" Nearly all of them asked her.

"Yeah, for roasting," Kylie said smiling. "And chocolate and gram crackers."

"I think I saw some in the small shop they had," Momiji announced. "If we hurry we could get some."

"Yes, in fact we should all go, I think," Kylie said. She looked at Shigure and tilted her head towards Linda and then Hatori hoping he would get her message.

"Ah yes, we should all go….if nothing else than to make sure we have enough for everyone," Shigure added catching on to Kylie's hint. Then with Ayame's help they forced the group out and Linda called out for them to wait so that she could go too.

"No, you need to stay put," Hatori said stopping her in her tracks. She looked up at him and begrudgingly lied back in her seat. "So you never told me what happened," Hatori told her bending down and examining the wrap around her foot and ankle.

"My ski hit a small rock on the way down making it go askew and I ended up falling. When I tried to get back up I couldn't stand on this foot," Linda explained as he slowly removed the bandage. "What are you doing?" Linda asked suddenly.

"Believe or not, there are some doctors who don't do their job properly, whether purposefully or by mistake. I would feel more comfortable knowing exactly what sort of physical state my employee is in," Hatori explained unperturbed and he began gently tracing his fingers of the bone, feeling for any abnormalities.

Then he started pressing his fingers in certain area's asking if it hurt. Linda didn't feel any pain until he reached the very edge closest to the foot and she grimaced as pain shot through her leg. "I see, so that's where the injury is. This wrap was in the wrong spot to properly do its job," Hatori said reapplying the bandage from a lower starting point. When he finished Linda could tell that it was done a lot better…as it was harder for her to move it.

"Now, how does it feel?" Hatori asked her. Linda for some reason found it embarrassing to look straight at him and she subconsciously wondered if this is how Kylie felt.

"Better, thanks," Linda mumbled.

"You're welcome," he answered methodically before standing up. "You really should try to avoid accidents more." Then he smiled. "I would have been displeased if you had been injured to the point of being unable to work."

Linda caught the smile and blushed at his words. "It's good to know that someone cares about whether or not I get hurt," she said finishing the last of her hot chocolate. Hatori just smiled and rubbed the top of her head.

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"Would you like dark chocolate or would milk chocolate be fine?" Shigure asked Kylie as they picked out what snacks to grab at the shop.

Everyone else was causing a ruckus at the opposite end of the store so the two were hardly paying attention to them. "Hmm, either one would work. Personally I like them both," Kylie said indecisively.

"Then we'll just get both," Shigure said taking both packages. "By the way, that was rather cunning of you to leave your cousin alone with Hatori. Hoping for some sparks?"

"Not exactly," Kylie said grabbing a box of gram crackers and a bag of marshmallows. "It's just, Linda has a hard time getting close to other people."

"Hmm," Shigure said, his smile taking a sly tilt he brushed his lips against Kylie's ear sending a shiver down her spine. "Sounds like someone else I know," he whispered giving the lope a small lick.

Kylie nearly dropped her things and she stepped away from him with a beet red face. "Could you at least warn me when you're about to do stuff like that?"

"My bad, my bad," Shigure said raising his hands in defeat. He stepped up and grabbed the items before taking them to the register to pay for them. "I was wondering why you two have such a hard time getting close to people though….care to enlighten me?" he asked as they stepped away from the counter and waited for the others to finish.

"Let's just say we've had very little luck when it came to socializing with others," Kylie told him.

"You really shouldn't let past experience impede you from having future ones. Otherwise you'll find your life being run by them," Shigure told her matter-of-factly.

"Believe me, I'm trying," Kylie said before calling to the others that it was time to head back.

"I've noticed...especially since you actually look at us now," Shigure replied with a smile. "So you couldn't look at people….men in particular. What does Linda have problems with? She seems to be a rather open person."

"She has difficulty saying what she really feels," Kylie said playing with a corner of the package. "But she's been getting better at that too. I think that living with all of you is probably the best thing that's ever happened to us."

He smiled at her comment, "I'm very glad you think that. I think it's been a very good experience for all of us." By this time the others were done and they headed back toward the lodge for some roasted mallows. Upon their return they noticed that Linda had a rather large smile on her face though Hatori was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did Ha-san go?" Momiji asked jumping onto the chair next to Linda.

"He went to talk to the medical personnel about my ankle," Linda explained smiling up at them.

"Ah, well he shouldn't be too long," Shigure stated. "We might as well start roasting the marshmallows now."

They were each handed a marshmallow and all sat in front of the fire talking and laughing as the marshmallows slowly cooked. Haru's ended up catching on fire and he just stared at it until Yuki suggested that it might be best if he blew it out. Once he did it resembled a piece of charcoal. Hatori returned in the middle of the roasting and Linda offered him a smore she had made. He took it out of politeness.

"Isn't this wonderful, Yuki? Sitting by the fire roasting marshmallows together, it just brings us to a wonderful understanding doesn't it," Ayame called gesturing flamboyantly.

"Not in the least," Yuki replied coldly.

"*yawn* Well I'm ready for bed so I'll head on up to my room. See you guys tomorrow," Linda said putting her foot down gently and then grabbing her crutches.

"Here, let me help," Kylie offered getting up and going to her cousin. "I think I'm going to turn in too." When they got to the staircase Kylie said, "Have a good night everyone. And Merry Christmas."

They all bid them goodnight and watched as Kylie helped her cousin up the stares. It was silent for a while until Ayame let out a heavy sigh. "Such wonderful girls. So kind and caring. Here we are trying so desperately to discover their secret and even so they find it in their hearts to shower us with gifts of gratitude, not even trying to discover the secret that we hide. It's almost shameful." The faces of everyone in the room fell slightly at this comment, and Yuki and Kyo turned away from him completely. "Of course it might just be me," Ayame added happily.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but your right," Yuki murmured.

"I guess I do feel rather bad about all of it," Kyo added keeping his face pointed in the opposite direction.

"Aaya, you really do have a good point," Shigure agreed.

"I want to tell them. I like hugging them," Momiji piped up.

"It was rather... enjoyable," Haru commented blandly.

"The problem is," Hatori spoke up. "If we were to tell them, then there is a very good chance that Akito would not allow them to continue having contact with any of us."

Gloom set over the group as they thought about this. "But I want them to stay with us," Momiji complained.

"Come now Hatori...there's always the off chance that Akito will allow it. After all he did let Tohru stay with us," Shigure reminded them.

"Perhaps we should wait until after the ski trip. Perhaps before New Years at the very least," Yuki suggested. "That way, if need be, they will have some time to think about it and decide for themselves whether or not they wish to continue living with us."

"That's a magnificent idea, Yuki. Did you hear that, Hatori? My little brother is such a genius," Ayame gushed running to give his brother a big hug.

"Leave me alone," Yuki replied throwing out his foot to keep Ayame back.

Soon after that, one by one, everyone traveled off to bed.

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CM: Hehe! Ah, the fluffiness of it all! ^_^ Next time, on Fruits Basket, the trip takes a hard left turn. Stay tuned!


	10. Haphazardous Situations

CM: Okay, so I saw how excited everyone was by the recent chapters so I decided to crank this one out just for all the faithful and excited readers. I hope it came out well. Enjoy! :D

_**HAPHAZARDOUS SITUATIONS**_

"Kylie… Kylie…"

Kylie's eyes snapped open and in the darkness she could see Momiji's face looming over her with a distressed look. "Momiji?" Kylie groaned sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "What's the matter? Why are you up so late?"

"I lost my picture of my mom and I can't find it anywhere. I think I dropped it while skiing," Momiji cried. "Will you help me find it? Please!!!"

"Well…." Kylie looked over at her cousin who was still sleeping, dead to the world. She knew that she would be able to help Momiji find it, but if her cousin were to find out she would be so angry. She looked at him once more and could see tears filling up his eyes. He looked so desperate. "Alright," Kylie agreed finally. "But we need to be quick about it, okay?"

"You got it," Momiji agreed happiness reappearing on his face. He followed Kylie out the door and into the night, trudging through the snow with a flashlight as he tried to find his mothers picture. After about an hour of searching the two discovered the picture lying in the middle of a large, frozen pond. "Do you think it's safe?" Momiji asked looking from the ice to the picture.

Kylie tested it out first by lightly stepping on it. "Stay here," she told him before walking gingerly out the ice. Slowly she bent down and picked it up. She waited, and when nothing happened she walked over to Momiji and handed him the small booklet.

"Thanks!" Momiji exclaimed, taking it happily.

"Alright, now let's go back before…" CR-CRACK! Kylie looked down before yelling, "Look out!" and shoving Momiji back as hard as she could.

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There was a dark shadow moving across the wall as Hatori woke up. He glanced around and noticed that the owner of the shadow was Hatsuharu. "What are you doing down here?" Hatori asked sitting up.

"Momiji is missing," Haru explained in a deep voice.

"I see you went black on us. You haven't found him in the Lodge yet?" Hatori asked.

"Do you think I would be in here if I'd already found him?" Haru asked blatantly.

Hatori heaved a sigh.

"There's another thing…" Haru said.

"What is it?" Hatori asked though he wasn't sure if he wanted more bad news. "Momiji's coat isn't the only one that's missing. Kylie's is gone too."

This caused Hatori even more disquiet. Suddenly the still quiet of the cabin was shattered when Linda's shrill scream tore through it. "KYLIE!"

The rest of the boys, except Ayame, woke up at the sound of the scream and together they ran up to the girls room where Linda was kneeling on the floor trying to reach the door in desperation. "Linda what's wrong?" Yuki asked coming forward.

Linda pointed to the bed next to her own, "Kylie ran off somewhere. I have to go find her, there's no telling what kind of trouble she's in right now."

"This is indeed troubling," Shigure said seriously. "Kyo, Yuki, Haru, you three come with me. We're going to find them. Hatori, please stay here and look after Aaya and Linda." He smiled at Linda. "Don't worry, we'll find your cousin and bring her back safely."

Linda watched as they left, helpless to do anything to help.

"You really should prop your foot up," Hatori told her concernedly.

"At least let me wait downstairs. I know I can't do anything to help but I want to be there when she comes back," Linda said desperately.

"Alright," Hatori said helping her up and then handing her her crutches before going downstairs.

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"How far out here could those two have gotten?" Kyo asked angrily.

"We don't really know…but we need to find them a.s.a.p," Yuki replied.

"I see someone," Haru stated.

Indeed, a small figure was running headlong towards them. It was Momiji. He looked very pale and his eyes were wide. "Thank goodness you're here! Come quick!"

"What happened?" Shigure asked him. "And where's Kylie?"

"She's fallen in the lake!" Momiji cried. "Hurry up! We've got to save her!"

Fear engulfed Shigure's features and he hurried off after Momiji while the others followed.

"What were you two doing out here anyway?" Kyo asked angrily.

"I lost mom's picture and I had to get it back," Momiji explained.

"Why didn't you just wait until tomorrow?" Yuki asked slowly.

"Because we were leaving tomorrow and I wouldn't have the chance," Momiji cried sadly.

"You should have asked me for help then. I would have found her in no time," Haru declared.

"There's no need for us to argue, we just need to get to the lake now," Shigure retorted breaking through their conversation. They all fell silent after that and focused their energy into getting their as quickly as they could.

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Cold…. It was so cold. Kylie could feel herself being pulled down deeper into the water, her clothes weighing down on her like an anchor. She couldn't move. She couldn't see. She couldn't even breathe. Her heart beat, which was growing slower by the second, boomed loudly in her ears. In fact, everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. The cold feeling soon vanished and all became numb. "Am I going to die?" Kylie thought as she felt her body slowly descending more and more. She felt alone and frightened. She didn't want to die. There were still so many things she wanted to do before her life was over. But then she remembered the joy on Momiji's face when he got his picture back. Maybe it had been worth it. Maybe… She heard someone calling her name from very far away. Whether or not she had imagined it, she didn't know. She felt her body finally settle itself down on the cold bottom. She felt what was left of her breath slowly leave her mouth, and she remembered nothing more.

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The door burst open and in ran Shigure holding onto a dripping wet Kylie followed closely by the others.

"What happened? Is she alright?" Linda asked jumping up and ignoring the pain that shot through her ankle.

Hatori allowed them to set Kylie down before he went to examine her. "She's not breathing," Hatori said out loud checking everywhere to see if there was even a small chance of saving her.

"What?" Linda asked sinking back into a chair and staring at the prone figure of her cousin. "She's going to make it right? She can't leave now…..we promised," she continued tears filling up her eyes.

"I know it seems hopeless but…." Yuki started putting a hand on her shoulder.

"No, she can't leave me. You broke the promise….why did you have to do it again? BAKA…baka….why did you have to do it again. You promised…..you promised," Linda muttered over and over again tears pouring down her cheeks.

Kyo looked stunned. "She's… no, she can't be…" Yuki and Haru said nothing, merely looked on with remorseful eyes. Momiji looked as if he might start bawling any second.

"Hatori," Shigure said in a steady voice. "Can you help her?"

"Yes there is still a chance but it requires CPR," Hatori said standing up.

Linda looked up at him with a fleeting glint of hope just barely visible in her dejected eyes.

"I'll do it," Shigure volunteered.

The other boys looked at Shigure sure that he was going to do something indecent, but Hatori stepped out of the way and allowed Shigure to proceed. Several minutes after the procedure started Linda's faint sign of hope vanished and she started crying harder than ever….though silently. Then when all hope seemed lost there was a spluttering noise and Kylie's eyes fluttered open. At the sound Linda's head shot up and stared finding it hard to believe that her cousin had pulled through. Then she jumped forward and pulled Kylie into a hug landing on her knees as she went.

"Baka….you weren't really planning on leaving me were you?" Linda asked tears still pouring down her cheeks.

Kylie's eyes stared out as if they were trying to register what they were seeing. Then, slowly the haze cleared away and she wrapped her shivering arms around Linda tightly, half with reassurance, and half with the simple desperate need for warmth. "Mmmm s-s-s-sor-ry, "she whispered through chattering teeth as tears began to trickle down her own face. She tried to say more but she was shivering so violently that it was near impossible to form a sentence. Everyone in the room was relieved to see that she was alright.

Haru and Momiji both handed Kylie a towel the moment Linda let her go. In the meantime Yuki got a fire going and Shigure helped Kylie get closer to the fire while Hatori helped Linda back to her chair.

"How are you feeling, Kylie?" Tohru asked having come back from making a glass of hot chocolate.

"M-much b-better. Th-thanks," Kylie managed to get out. She took the hot chocolate and took a sip. The warmth from it seemed to spread throughout her entire body.

"Kylie, I'm really sorry," Momiji said sitting beside her with wide tearful eyes. "I didn't mean to get you into trouble. You were only trying to help me and you almost…"

"Shhhhh…." Kylie shushed him and gently pulled him into a one armed hug. "It's alr-right. I'm f-fine now."

"That was a pretty close one you know," Kyo muttered. "Be more careful next time."

"What's with all the sad faces?" Ayame asked stepping into the room having finally woken up. "Kylie what happened to you? You're soaking wet," Ayame asked noticing the shivering girl.

"She went and nearly drowned in the lake," Kyo explained harshly.

"But Shigure and Haru pulled her out. Then Shigure saved her life using CPR," Yuki finished.

Kylie flushed several shades of red. He had really…? So that meant she owed him her life. She didn't know whether to be thankful or worried.

"That's dreadful!" Ayame exclaimed in horror. "Kylie, I'm so thankful that you made it. My shop would never be the same without you!"

"No need to worry, Ayame-san," Kylie assured him. She was warmed up quite a bit now so she could speak normally again.

"You really should have told someone you were going out before you left," Shigure scolded.

"If you heard about it you'd just end up going with her and then who knows what would happen," Kyo exclaimed sarcastically.

"Kyo's just upset because he wanted to be alone with Tohru," Momiji said earning a smack on the head from Kyo.

"I'm even disgusted by you stupid cat," Yuki muttered.

"Would you quit believing everything that kid says," Kyo shouted back.

"If you two don't quiet down now I'll throw you outside," Hatori cut in harshly. The glanced over at him and noticed that Linda had fallen asleep and that he had just placed a new bandage on her ankle.

"I'm sorry everyone," Kylie murmured an apology before she drifted off into a restful sleep. Momiji slipped out of her grasp and after a few moments, Momiji transformed into a rabbit with a pop.

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The next morning proved to be quite interesting, as Linda woke up with a cold sweat in her bed and thought she had dreamed the whole thing. Looking over she noticed that Kylie was covered in more blankets than when she went to bed and her hair had signs of drying after being wet.

"So it wasn't a dream," she thought feeling the stickiness of her own dry tears on her face. She limped downstairs with as few sounds as possible and found all the Sohma boys passed out on the floor. "Wow…I don't think I've ever woken up before everybody," she thought to herself. "In that case I'm going to go grab what I want from the fridge before anyone else wakes up." She limped through the room over and around people as to not wake them up and into the kitchen. "Hmm…I wonder what time it is," she thought seeing that the sun hadn't come out yet.

"You're up awfully early," the deep voice of Hatori told her. She glanced over to see him stride into the kitchen and he set to work on making some coffee. "You are by far the most stubborn patient I've ever seen."

"Why because I don't like staying in one place?" Linda asked opening the fridge and taking out a glass of orange juice. "I figured it was good if the patient could move on their own."

"Not if it means that you end up hurting yourself in the process," Hatori retorted. "Oh give me a break," Linda groaned rolling her eyes.

"In any case, I'm glad to see you're doing better," Hatori said sitting down at the table.

"I'm fine. Is Kylie going to be alright?"

"She seems to have stabilized," Hatori informed her. "It doesn't seem like she caught anything while her immune system was down. She should be back to her normal self once she wakes up."

"That's good. I wasn't sure if I'd ever see her again back there," Linda said after taking a swig of her juice with some difficulty. "I really should show my gratitude toward Shigure and Haru for saving her life. I just wish I knew how."

"I doubt they would feel that was necessary," Hatori told her. "I'm sure they were just as relieved as you were. That fact that she's still alive should be more than enough for them."

"You sure?" Linda asked glancing up at him. By the look on his face she could tell he was definitely sure. "Never mind. Um….thanks…for helping with my ankle I mean."

"You're welcome," Hatori said with a ghost of a smile.

"I smell coffee," Kylie said poking her head into the kitchen. When she saw the two of them she stopped. "Sorry… should come back later?"

"Kylie wa…" Linda started only to stop as Kylie left the room in a hurry. "Wow…that was rather unexpected," she muttered rubbing her head.

"Is there something wrong?" Hatori asked.

"No it's just….I didn't expect Kylie to come in right now or to leave so quickly," Linda replied as she continued to rub her head.

Hatori must have decided the coffee was done because he got up from his seat and poured himself a cup. "Well, if she can move around so diligently, then she must be feeling better. However, she might need to take it easy for a while… just in case. The same goes for you."

"You don't have to worry about me…I'm just fine. As soon as my ankle's all better I'll be back to my old self," Linda declared standing up straight only to fall back to her crutches as she had accidentally put her foot down.

Hatori immediately set his coffee down and strode over to her. "You were saying?" He asked with a hint of exasperation in his voice as he helped her up.

"Hehe… wari," Linda said with an embarrassed laugh.

"I would really appreciate it if you were more careful," he told her softly as he gently brushed some of the fringe that had fallen in her face away.

Linda's heart skipped a beat as her eyes met his and her face turned really red. Then she looked away quickly so that he wouldn't notice and made sure she had her crutches in the right position. "Well I'm going to go see what Kylie needed," Linda said hastily limping out the door. He watched her go, staring after her for several moments before deciding to go back to his coffee before it went cold.

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One by one, people began to wake up. Kylie helped Tohru make breakfast so that once everyone was awake, they could come in, sit down, and eat their food. Kylie sat down next to Shigure once she had served herself. "Well now, this is a surprise," Shigure remarked teasingly. "Usually you avoid me as if I was a leper."

Kylie stared down at her plate as she spoke. "I just wanted to thank you… for last night." She had already thanked everyone, but she felt she owed a special thanks to him for some reason.

"Don't worry about it, just knowing you are alright makes it all seem better somehow," Shigure replied with a smile. "Besides I didn't want to lose you, and knowing you're still around brings joy to my soul."

Kylie said nothing but smiled in appreciation. After breakfast, sadly, it was time to go home. Ayame wanted to ride hime with Yuki but Hatori convinced him it would be better if they left the way they had come. So the two said their goodbyes to the group, Hatori reminding Linda once more to be careful, before leaving. Once Shigure's group was loaded in, they left for home as well.

"I knew this trip would be interesting but I think Linda and Kylie went a little overboard," Kyo expressed shaking his head.

"You may be right but even so I had a lot of fun," Linda replied with a grin.

"It was rather fun wasn't it," Yuki agreed.

"I had fun," Haru murmured.

"Oh yeah I nearly forgot…what happened to Haru last night…I could have sworn he was a completely different person," Linda said suddenly remembering his expression.

"That was black Haru…he get's like that every once in a while but as long as your around us when it happens you won't have to worry," Yuki explained.

"Wow…so he's skitzo?" Linda asked without thinking.

"I think the term is having a split personality," Kylie corrected.

"Well, I personally had fun," Shigure said with a bright smile. "We should do this more often."

"Idiot!" Kyo and Yuki muttered.

"So, Momiji," Kylie spoke to the small boy. "After this are you and Haru going to leave again?"

"Yeah, but we'll be sure to come by and visit more often," Momiji assured them.

"Yeah, and cause even more trouble," Kyo muttered.

"I wouldn't mind seeing you guys again….it should be a lot of fun," Linda said cheerfully nullifying Kyo's comment. "Besides I was wanting to do a really cool carving for your family….but I'd need a little help from you guys."

"Oooh…I can't wait to see it," Momiji exclaimed happily. "I'll definitely come and help…how about you Haru?"

"Sure..I'll come to," Haru agreed.

"Great…you'll love the finished product…I promise," Linda said stretching her cramped leg.

"Could you draw us another picture some time?" Momiji asked Kylie.

"Sure thing," Kylie said with a nod. It was a very pleasant car ride back home and once they had gotten settled back in, Haru and Momiji said their good byes before leaving. "You guys have a really nice family," Kylie commented.

"As long as you don't have to see them everyday," Kyo complained.

"Well no matter who your family is you get annoyed with each other eventually if you see them everyday," Linda said waving her goodbyes with her crutch. "I mean even Kylie get's on my nerves every once in a while."

"Yeah well at least she isn't as annoying as that kid….he's only a year younger than us and he acts like a freakin' elementary student," Kyo shouted his hands turning into fists.

"Are you serious?" Kylie and Linda asked together.

"Yes, Haru is also one year younger than us," Yuki informed them.

"Wow," Kylie murmured.

"I honestly thought that Momiji was in elementary while Haru was close to graduating," Linda admitted.

"Come come," Shigure told them. "Let's get out of the cold. We wouldn't want to freeze to death."

Kylie flushed red in humility.

"You can be so tactless sometimes," Yuki said glaring at him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Kylie," Shigure said dramatically reaching for her. "Please accept this embrace with my apology."

"Knock it of you pervert!" Kyo shouted, interrupting his action by knocking him on the head.

Linda rolled her eyes. "Oh, brother. I guess it's back to the old routine stuff."

Kylie giggled. "Hehe, looks like it."

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CM: Wow, was that intense or what? ;) Hehe, stay tuned! And HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!


	11. Exchanging of Secrets

_**EXCHANGING OF SECRETS**_

The next few days passed with Shigure being rather protective every time Kylie got hurt and Hatori coming to visit everyday to make sure Linda's ankle was healing properly. With only three days left until New Years Eve Shigure called Kylie and Linda into the dining room.

"What's up?" Linda asked putting away something wooden before anyone could see it.

"Well we've decided to tell the two of you something important," Shigure explained. That's when Linda realized that all of the Sohmas they've met so far were in that room…including Ayame, to Yuki's discomfort.

"What is it?" Kylie asked them curiously. "Are we having a party?"

"Yeah, we're just a bunch of party animals," Haru said smugly. "Just waiting to get down to business."

Kyo smacked him on the head. "When the heck did you go Black Haru?"

"About five minutes ago," Haru said shrugging.

"We'll be straight with you," Hatori spoke up commanding attention. "We're all aware that there is something that you two are keeping from us, and we respect that."

"Why bring that up now?" Linda asked suspiciously.

"Because we happen to have a secret of our own," Shigure said with a light smile.

Linda raised an eyebrow, "And that would be?"

"I'll demonstrate it first," Haru volunteered walking up and giving Linda a hug.

"And this proves what exactly?" she asked feeling really weird.

"I'll show you," Haru replied letting go and then grabbing Tohru. The moment he embraced her there was a loud pop and Haru was now standing before them in the shape of a cow.

"Woah, you guys can change shape…that's sooo cool. How do you do it? Does it feel weird being an animal? Can you change into more than one?" Linda asked pulling at Haru's ears and poking at him to make sure it was real.

"My turn my turn!" Momiji shouted glomping Kylie into a tight hug. Once again, there was no change.

"Knock it off you brat!" Kyo shouted at him.

Momiji just stuck his tongue out before skipping over and hugging Tohru. POP! He was a bunny rabbit.

"That's so cute!" Kylie remarked running over to Momiji and picking him up. "Aw, you look so adorable Momiji-kun." She glanced over at the others who appeared to be rather surprised at how well the two girls were taking this. "So does that mean all of you can transform into animals? And why only with Tohru?"

"It's not just Tohru, any female we hug forces us to transform," Yuki explained.

"The only ones that don't are other members or….you two," Kyo added.

"Wait other members…other members of what?" Linda asked limping toward them.

"The Chinese Zodiac," Hatori told them.

Linda's jaw dropped and Kylie sank into a deep bow of respect. "So then all the animals you change into are all part of the Chinese Zodiac?" Linda asked trying to confirm it.

"Exactly," Shigure said.

"So then….the animals you've been calling each other are your zodiac animals right? Wait…so where does the cat come in?" Linda asked confused.

Suddenly there was another popping sound and a lot of smoke and both Haru and Momiji were back to normal… except they had no clothes on. Both Linda and Kylie quickly averted their eyes.

"Sorry," Shigure told them apologetically. "We forgot to mention that when we return to normal… we're naked."

Once Haru and Momiji had their clothes back on Kylie said timidly, "Um, if it's not too much trouble… I want to see everyone's animal." Linda was once more holding a sign over her head that read: ANIMAL LOVER.

Shigure and Ayame obliged right away by hugging Tohru and changing into a dog and a snake. "You've got to be kidding me," Linda groaned seeing Ayame's transformation.

"What's wrong?" Yuki asked.

"I was born the year of….the snake," she explained watching Ayame slither around.

"Ah that makes us zodiac buddies," Ayame exclaimed rubbing up against her leg.

She moved to the side in a hurry, "I like snakes well enough but having you move across my leg is not exactly comfortable."

"Wow, so Shigure's the dog, huh?" Kylie said kneeling down in front of him and scratching him behind the ear. His tail began wagging like crazy.

"In more ways than one," thought both Yuki and Kyo.

"What year were you born, Miss Kylie?" Yuki asked curiously. "I'm the year of the horse," Kylie told them all.

"Then you just might get along with Rin….then again your hyperness would probably annoy her," Yuki said with a sweat drop.

"I'm sure Rin wouldn't mind," Haru said slowly.

"When did you turn back to white Haru?" Kyo asked exasperated.

"While I was transformed," Haru explained.

Suddenly Ayame and Shigure turned back to normal and Linda and Kylie both averted their eyes as quickly as possible. "Alright, I think all that's left are Ritsu, Hatori, Yuki, ad Kyo," Shigure remarked lightly as he pulled his clothes on.

"Why do we have to?" Kyo demanded.

"Now now, don't be such a spoil sport, Kyo."

Ritsu looked rather embarrassed while Hatori looked as if he'd rather do anything but.

"Please?" Kylie pleased.

Kyo and Yuki both didn't seem to want to but Shigure gave Tohru a little push and both the boys dove to catch her changing in the process.

"So your hair color matches your animals color. To be honest you look really cool as a cat Kyo….and Yuki…not a bad rat I must say. I think I understand why you two fight so much," Linda expressed with a laugh. She picked Kyo up by the fur just to feel and was surprised to find him….actually soft.

"He's soo….cute," Kylie squealed staring at Yuki. Yuki the rat looked down rather awkwardly while Kyo was trying to scratch Linda's hand off. "So what is Ritsu-san?" Kylie asked curiously.

"Ritsu, come here for a moment," Shigure said.

"O-okay," Ritsu said stepping forward like the poor naïve soul that he was. Shigure once more took a gentle but firm hold of Tohru and sent her bumping into Ritsu.

"I'm sorry!" she squeaked.

It was too much for Kylie. Seeing Ritsu as a monkey nearly sent her squealing with joy. Almost on impulse she picked him up and hugged him against her. POP! Suddenly she was holding Ritsu to her and the two of them freaked, Kylie turning red from embarrassment and Ritsu shouting his apologies to the world. Shigure came to their rescue by poking Ritsu in the side and telling him to put his clothes back on.

"Well….that was awkward," Linda stated slowly.

"I'm sure it wasn't nearly as awkward as this," Shigure said walking around and then shoving Hatori into Tohru who had backed up to a few feet in front of him. There was no stopping the fall of the sudden popping noise and the appearance of a seahorse amidst Hatori's clothing.

"That's why you guys were making fun of the dragon. Should I change the carving then?" Linda asked bending down to see Hatori better.

"Actually, I think I prefer the dragon," Hatori remarked not sounding all that happy.

"So, is it just me or, did Ritsu change back RIGHT after Kylie hugged him?" Yuki brought to everyone's attention.

"Hmm, you're right," Shigure said rubbing his chin thoughtful. "We should probably test it. I will happily volunteer."

Linda looked over at him with something of try that and I'll personally destroy you. Just at that moment Hatori turned back to normal and startled Linda so badly that she toppled over backwards.

"Did you hurt your ankle?" he asked looking down at her.

She had her eyes closed tightly determined not to see anything. "Nope I'm not hurt," she said with a forced smile.

"Well, now you know," Shigure said with a shrug.

"Wow, that's really amazing," Kylie said impressed.

"So you're not frightened at all?" Yuki asked.

"Why would we be?" Linda asked getting up with Hatori's help after he had clothed himself.

"Well, it's not everyday you see a family quite like this," Yuki stated.

"Well, we're not exactly normal ourselves," Kylie responded.

"Kylie…" Linda said warningly.

Kylie looked at her. "I think we should tell them, Lin."

Linda sighed, "You're probably right….alright you can tell them." Then she rounded on the others and pointed her crutch at each and every one of them. "But if you try to take advantage of this you won't be waking up tomorrow."

They all sweat dropped. Kylie took a deep breath. "You see…. For as long as we lived my cousin and I have had this unique ability. I suppose you could call it a curse or a blessing, depending on how you look at it. Basically what happens is, whenever we get close to other people…" she closed her eyes as if trying to steady herself before continuing on. "…We give them our luck."

They all had a mixture of confusion and shock on their faces at this declaration. "So your saying that everything that has happened here and been good….has been because the two of you were giving us your luck?" Yuki asked trying to make sense of it.

"Yeah….though none of it was on purpose…it just sort of…happens," Linda explained with a shrug.

"So then if you are giving away all your luck…then what happens to you afterward?" Haru asked voicing the question on everyone's mind.

Linda and Kylie exchanged glances before they continued. "Well….we kind of…have bad things happen. So basically every time we've tripped or bumped our head or hit our funny bone, that was because someone used our luck at that moment," Linda explained bracing herself for their reaction.

"I can actually see why you would decide to hide something like that," Yuki commented.

"Indeed," Shigure said with a nod. "I'm sure there are people who would try to take advantage of that."

"There have been," Linda revealed. A blanket of tension seemed to settle over the room. Everyone was serious now, even Ayame.

"It's not so bad," Kylie tried to assure them. "Really, we've gotten used to it."

"What about the rest of your family?" Hatori inquired.

"If you're asking if they have the same problem we do, no. We're the only ones," Linda answered.

"Well, there used to be someone else…" Kylie said slowly. "Uncle Leo."

There was a tense pause as the others waited unsure of whether or not they should speak. Linda picked up the slack, "Uncle Leo was my closest relative next to my Mom and Kylie. Even though he had this ability he always used it to help people…he even helped my mom out a couple times though she got mad every time. One day he took us out on a little trip with him going around helping people to show us how we could see our abilities as something good. We stopped at this old woman's home who couldn't work and would be kicked out if her family didn't come and help her. He went up and touched her shoulder gave her a few words of encouragement and then we left. On the way back home it must have worked because he tripped while crossing the street." She paused finding it more difficult to voice than she thought. "Then a car ran a red light and hit him killing him almost instantly."

There was silence for several minutes, so absolute that Kylie wondered if sound would ever penetrate the room again.

Momiji was the first to break the silence, his voice small and ashamed. "Does that mean it was my fault you fell into the lake?"

Kylie shook her head hurriedly. "No, don't think that."

She tried to walk forward and give him a hug but he threw himself backwards. "No! I don't want to take your luck away!"

Several of them looked away from the pair, appearing as if they were afraid that even looking at them might result in them taking their luck. Only the adults continued to watch the pair intently.

Kylie stared at him until a sad smile passed over her lips. "It's funny, that's exactly how our family treats us. They were either wanting to get close to us in order to further their fortunes, or they distance themselves from us so that they don't unintentionally hurt us. In the end... it was just Linda and I. All we had was each other." Her smile became lighter. "But that changed… when we met all of you."

They all exchanged glances feeling both ashamed and proud. "We finally had a place where we were treated like people instead of clumsy luck charms," Linda mumbled glancing at them with a smile. "I guess that's why we didn't want you to know. We were afraid you'd react like this. We understand most of it and are pretty good at avoiding most trouble and we set up a rule not to purposefully give away our luck. Because of that we've been able to become as successful as we are right now. Don't worry about us, we can take care of it no problem."

"So you wouldn't mind continuing to live here?" Shigure asked them. "Even though it might mean bumps and bruises for the rest of the year?"

"Like we said before, we're used to it," Kylie assured them. "Besides… it doesn't seem to be as prominent with you guys. We used to get much worse than what we do now."

"Yeah now that I think about it….we've actually had…good luck since meeting up with you guys. I mean finding a place to stay, two paying jobs and a tutor all pretty much at the same time….I find that pretty lucky….and I gave up on luck a long time ago," Linda said scratching her chin. "So if you guys wouldn't mind letting us stay, we'll promise to keep your secret and you'll keep ours." She smiled and looked at the group expectantly.

"I guess I still can't turn away two girls in need, alright you can stay," Shigure said spreading his arms out with joy.

"However," Hatori said gravely, momentarily interrupting the sudden rise of elation. "You two will need to speak with Akito at some point. But we'll save that for another day."

"Indeed," Ayame said striding forward and giving Kylie a hug. "I suppose I have to thank you for bringing such wonderful business to my shop. As my thanks, you're excused from work until after New Years."

"That really isn't necessary, Ayame-san. I don't mind working," Kylie tried to convince.

"No, no it would be best if you and Linda stayed home for a time until I am convinced you are well enough to leave," Hatori cut in.

"I am in good shape as it is and Kylie has not contracted any diseases from her experience so I really don't see your point with this," Linda retorted leaning on her crutches so she could fold her arms.

"Well, you know, can't be too careful," Shigure said in a sing song voice.

"Speaking of New Years," Kylie said suddenly. "What do you all do to celebrate it?"

"Yeah right…we celebrate Christmas and they don't….so how do you celebrate New Years," Linda asked.

"Well we go to the Sohma house for three days for a large banquet where the zodiac member of the New Year performs a dance," Shigure explained.

"I suppose that would mean we aren't invited huh," Kylie said with a small laugh.

"I'm afraid that this is a Sohma only party," Ayame replied. "Though it would be marvelous if you were able to come as well."

"Sounds like a blast. So is everyone going to that?" Linda asked curiously.

"I'm not going," both Kyo and Yuki exclaimed.

"Why not? It's a special time you can spend with your family. I'd say you two must be scared to go," Linda accused with a sly grin.

"Linda," Kylie said with a reproving look.

"I'm not scared!" Kyo declared viciously.

"No, I'm sure he's overjoyed at the prospect of seeing Kagura," Shigure said slyly.

"Shut up!"

"What will you both be doing?" Yuki asked them.

"Well, Lin and I don't mind watching the house with Tohru while you're all away," Kylie replied brightly. "And we promise to have a nice meal prepared for you when you get back."

Linda nodded her head in agreement and the others exchanged glances before Yuki and Kyo grudgingly agreed to go as well.

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Three days later Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo were saying their goodbyes before heading off for the Sohma New Years party. "Have fun you guys and make sure you don't run into any girls along the way," Linda said with a smirk.

Shigure laughed, Kyo grumbled, and Yuki smiled. "You three take care of yourselves as well," Shigure told them.

The three girls watched as the three men walked off out of sight. "Well, we won't be seeing them for a while," Linda said as they went inside.

"Yeah, it's kind of sad," Kylie mentioned. She walked into the kitchen and something caught her eye. A gift wrapped box that Shigure had mentioned was a gift to the head of the house. He must have forgotten about it. She picked it up and tucked it into her coat pocket and ran out of the kitchen.

"What's up?" Linda asked her curiously.

"I'll be right back," she told Linda and Tohru before dashing out of the house.

She caught up with the group in no time and Shigure told the two boys to go on ahead. He turned to meet her and smiled warmly, "So, miss me already?"

Kylie shook her head before pulling the gift from her pocket. "You forgot this," she replied.

"Oh my, so I did," Shigure said in false surprise as he took the gift from her. "That would have been very bad. Thank you for bringing it to me."

"Is there anything else you need while I'm here?" she asked, her voice bordering on sarcasm.

"Why yes, I need you to stick your arms out in front of you. No…keep them together…yes, that's it now tilt your head up a bit. Now read this," he said sticking a piece of paper in front of her face.

"Bondage Slave?" Kylie read before realizing what he did.

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Shigure said with a devilish grin and patting her on the head. "Good girl."

"Now wait just a minute…" Kylie began, her face flushing red. But in the blink of an eye, his face was inches away from hers and her voice died in her throat.

"You look so cute when you're flustered," he whispered.

She felt her heart skip a beat as his warm breath fell on her face.

"Kylie…"

Hearing her name spoken like that was like hearing a soothing lullaby.

"You're not the type who minds being owned by the one you love, am I right?" He asked softly.

Kylie was still having difficulty forming words while underneath his charming gaze.

"I am," he answered his own question. And taking her silence for acceptance, he gently closed that troublesome gap between them. It was soft and gentle, but possibly the most exhilarating experience Kylie had ever felt, and only after a brief moment's hesitation did she feel herself respond to him. Then all too soon, it was over. "Remember that, come New Years," Shigure whispered huskily into her ear.

She merely nodded in answer. He smiled at her once more before turning and leaving to catch up with the two boys. Kylie watched him go, a smile slowly spreading across her face. Previously her heart had been hammering a hole into her ribcage. Now, her anxiety had been replaced with a warm tranquility. "Happy New Years, Shigure."

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CM: Aw! Isn't that sweet? ^_^ Next time… a meeting with Akito. Stay tuned!


	12. Trials

_**TRIALS**_

The holiday came and went with each member having a personal conversation with Akito. Shigure explained that the two girls also knew their secret and wasn't surprised to hear that before he would allow them to stay any longer he needed to see them in person. Yuki had an interesting conversation with his parents and Kyo was once again reminded of the deal he made with Akito. As the final day came to an end Kyo, Yuki, and Shigure left the Sohma home and made their wake back to their house. They walked through the front door half expecting to find the three of them hurt and the house in disarray but instead the three of them were playing a nice game of rich man poor man while Linda had her leg stretched out across the floor.

"Welcome back guys, did you have fun the last three days?" Linda asked glancing up when they entered the room.

Kyo glared angrily at her while Yuki forced a smile. "It was… interesting to say the least."

"Well, just like we promised, we have a nice meal ready for you if you're hungry," Kylie said with a smile. She dashed into the kitchen and came back out with a tray. "Look! Tohru and I have been learning how to make sushi!"

This did cheer Kyo up just a bit. "What kind of sushi?" He asked slowly.

"Well, lots of kinds," Tohru said. "There's salmon, veggies, tuna…" she said listing them off.

"I'm sorry, my cousin is a sushi freak," Linda said shaking her head.

"What, no sign this time?" Shigure asked amused.

"Didn't need to this time," Linda replied looking through her cards.

Kyo picked out several different types of sushi before he sat down to eat, and Yuki decided on the veggie ones only. They offered some to Linda who refused saying she didn't like sushi and then slammed one of her cards on the table making her the winner of the hand.

"Sorry, Kylie, you're the poor man this time around," Linda said with a smile.

"Come on, Lin," Kylie said in a voice bordering on a whine. "You know I don't have any luck with games like this."

"You don't have any luck period," Linda pointed out with a grin.

"I wouldn't say that," Shigure said with a grin as if laughing at a private joke.

Kylie turned pink but tried not to let it bother her. "Just remember, I beat you at twenty-one."

"That's true…but there's no skill involved with that game," Linda replied scratching her chin.

"What about that game of spoons?" Kylie asked suddenly.

"That's just sneaking the spoons out without anyone knowing," Linda shot back. "You must have gotten all the practice from sneaking deserts off my plate all those years."

"Oh, desert sounds really good right now, maybe I should make some," Tohru commented. The three boys started to laugh and the three girls all looked up curiously.

"Did we say something funny?" Kylie asked them.

"No, not at all," Yuki assured them. "It's just good to be home."

"Yeah, hey Lin, you better start walking pretty soon. It's getting dull training by myself and Kylie's not much of a challenge," Kyo said.

"I'm a pacifist," Kylie said in her defense.

"Don't you worry, Kyo, I've been stretching out my ankle every day to help it heal faster. I'll be up and about in no time and then we can have that sparing match," Linda replied with a grin.

"Oh that reminds me, I told Akito about the two of you and how you now know about our curse," Shigure cut in making the mood do a 180. "He's going to allow you to stay until her sees you in person. After that he'll decided whether you can stay here longer. The only thing is he's going to see you one at a time." Yuki and Kyo looked at the floor with a mixture of fear and anger on their faces.

"No problem, we just have to meet with guy, right? In that case why don't we get it over with now?" Linda asked looking between the three.

Shigure's face turned serious. "This isn't a matter to be taken lightly. The reason why you've never met Akito before is because he's not allowed to leave the Sohma house too often. He has very poor health. The reason for that is… well, I suppose you could say he carries the foundation of the curse on his shoulders."

"That's terrible," Kylie said sadly.

Shigure nodded. "I'd rather not have the two of you come into any sort of contact with him. But since he is the head of the house, and because he requested it, it must be done."

"We understand," Kylie said acceptingly.

Shigure smiled at her sadly. He wondered… would she be able to look upon it with the same optimism once she met him?

"So, when is this scheduled meeting?" Linda asked feeling a little apprehensive.

"Well he said he would like to meet with Kylie tomorrow afternoon," Shigure replied despondently. "Linda was going to be the day after that but Hatori managed to convince Akito to hold it off until your ankle had healed."

"Sounds good," Linda said, relieved that her meeting was postponed yet at the same time worried about Kylie.

Kylie herself appeared slightly apprehensive but did her best to hide it. "I'm sure it'll all turn out okay in the end," she announced positively.

Everyone TRIED to believe her.

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The next day was school and Linda and Kylie accepted a ride from Shigure to make sure they made it on time. The day went without too many problems and Linda enjoyed not having to do anything in PE, though she still got hit in the head once or twice. By the time afternoon came around Linda's feeling of apprehension was hitting an all time high. Shigure came and picked up Kylie from school before heading off to the Sohma house leaving Linda to walk home alone.

"Are you ready for this Kylie?" Shigure asked worried.

"Yeah," Kylie said with a nod.

She wouldn't lie, she was nervous. Scared even. She saw how everyone reacted whenever Akito's name was brought up. That fact alone set her nerves on edge. But at the same time, she could not help but relate with Akito. And after all, everything had a silver lining, right? Akito had to have one too somewhere. When they arrived at the Sohma house, Shigure escorted her to a spacious room. Kylie saw a figure sitting by the window, staring out at the clear blue sky. That must be Akito, she thought. Shigure led her to the center of the room and thy both knelt onto the floor.

Akito gave no indication that he realized the two of them had entered until he said out loud in a low voice, "So…. you've come. I'm glad. I've been wanting to meet you for some time after hearing so much about you." He turned to look at them and Kylie saw that he, like the rest of the Sohma family members she had met thus far, had a very beautiful face. "So you now know the secret of the Sohma family," he said softly almost dangerously. "What do you think about our freakish nature?"

"I don't think it's freakish, Akito-sama" Kylie said softly bowing her head in respect. "Sure, you may be different but, you're still human."

Akito turned his attention to Shigure for a moment. "Shigure, I need you to go get Hatori. Now," he ordered leaving no room for debate. Shigure glanced over at Kylie before he got up and left hoping that his feeling of foreboding was wrong. The moment Shigure was gone Akito stood and approached her slowly. "You believe we're still human, even with the animal transformations? What gives you the right to say who's human and who's not?" he shouted hand streaking across her face.

Kylie ignored the stinging in her cheek as she looked up at him. "Does it hurt?" she whispered.

"What's that?" Akito asked angrily.

"It must hurt," Kylie continued. "Having to bear all that responsibility all by yourself. You feel alone, like the world has turned its back on you. It makes you angry, and sad and confused."

"Shut up. Just shut up," Akito shouted slapping her again this time hard enough to send her reeling.

Kylie slowly pushed herself back up and looked at him once more. "You don't have to be alone, Akito-sama. It's okay to share your pain with others. Because no one likes to be alone."

"What would you know about it!?" Akito yelled at her. "You know nothing! You think you can do anything? You can't!"

Kylie didn't let his rant deter her. "I know I might not be able to do much but, I want to help. Even if I get hurt, or killed, I want to help. Shigure, the other Sohmas, and you too, Akito. Because believe or not, I know what it's like to live under a shadow."

At this Akito's eyes became manic and he hit Kylie until she was slammed up against the wall, shouting all the while about her knowing nothing and not being able to break the curse. He went to do even more damage but was stopped as Shigure and Hatori both burst in at that moment and held him back.

"That's enough," Shigure said firmly, holding fast to the wrist of the fist he was about to strike Kylie with. "No more."

Akito glared at Shigure, still holding on to Kylie's hair with his other hand. "You're in love with this woman, aren't you?" He accused. "You want her, don't you? Don't you?!"

"Yes," Shigure said simply. His answer shocked Akito so much that he let her go and Hatori held onto him while Shigure knelt down beside Kylie finding her unconscious. "I still would like her to stay with me," Shigure added solemnly.

"She can stay, but only if you can carry her out of here in your own arms," Akito challenged viciously.

Shigure wordlessly placed an arm under the midsection of her back and the other in the crevice of her knees and picked her up off the floor, hugging her against him, his face nuzzling the top of her head. "I'm sorry," he whispered apologies that she was oblivious to in her unconscious state before walking out of the room with her.

Akito was shocked beyond words. "Stop…" he sputtered fighting against Hatori's grip. "Stop right there!"

"A deal's a deal, Akito," Hatori told him, not letting him go.

"There's no way he could do that unless she was a member of the zodiac. She must be a witch….she's a witch!" Akito screamed as he watched Shigure walk out of the room Kylie held tightly in his arms.

He carried her away, Akito's screams fading away with every step he took. He carried her to the small medical room next to Hatori's office and lay her down on one of the beds. He went and got a cloth, soaking it in cold water before going back over to her and doing what he could for her wounds. She had received a cut above her left temple and her face was badly bruised. So this is what Hatori felt when he had brought Kana, Shigure thought dolefully as he cleaned the blood off her face and tried to sooth the swelling that was already arising.

The door opened and Hatori walked in. "I've given him some medicine," he said in his usual business like tone, though there was a hint of relief lining his voice. "He's asleep now and should be for awhile."

Shigure nodded his understanding and went back to taking care of Kylie's injuries. "I understand now why you were so devastated when you brought Kana to see him," he muttered keeping his eyes on Kylie. "I'm glad we got in there when we did, I can't bear to think of what would have happened had we not."

"It wasn't as bad as this," Hatori explained. "I was the one who was injured, she just blamed herself for it afterwards."

Shigure stroked his fingers through the long dark hair that had been subject to abuse only minutes before. "I should have protected her," Shigure murmured.

"You fool," Hatori muttered. "You saved her. And you still have her. Just be glad she's still here. After the display she put up I doubt she'd give up living with you because of Akito," he told him with a hint of a smile on his face.

Shigure was about to answer back when Kylie stirred and her eyes fluttered open. "How did it go? Can I still stay with you?" she asked staring up at Shigure.

Shigure stared at her for a moment before letting out of soft chuckle in relief. "If that is what you wish, then yes."

Hatori moved to her other side, looking her over and checking for any abnormalities. After giving her practically a full check up, he assessed that she would be fine but it would be better if she stayed in bed for the rest of the day.

Shigure must have gotten his sense of humor back because he grinned in a perverse manner. "I can keep her in bed."

"It would be better if she went to her own bed and rested," Hatori interjected.

"I suppose your right, but that wouldn't be much fun," Shigure replied with a smirk.

"Just take her home and let her cousin take care of her," Hatori continued.

"Aw, and here I was hoping to play doctor when we got home," Shigure said with an overly exaggerated sigh of disappointment.

"Shigure," Kylie groaned playfully.

"Just get home, I'm sure Linda is worried about what happened here," Hatori told them. "And tell her if she feels up to it she can start coming back to work. I doubt I could keep her from it for too long anyway."

"Of course I will," Shigure promised. He took Kylie by the hand, lacing his fingers with hers, and led her out of the room and off of the Sohma property.

"I'm sorry if I caused any trouble," Kylie apologized.

"No, you didn't," Shigure assured her. He pulled her closer and stroked her head with his free hand. "I just wish I had gotten there sooner. I might have been able to stop this from happening."

"It's not your fault," Kylie told him with a comforting smile. "I'm just glad that I get to stay with you and the others. I prefer a beating over losing my memory any day."

"You're so adorable," Shigure squealed giving her a huge hug. "Seriously though please don't get yourself beaten up again. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you for good."

Kylie smiled and hugged him back. They stayed like that for a while before saying, "You know, after I let go you're probably going to change into a dog."

"Hmm, that would be a problem wouldn't it?" Shigure said with a sly smile before wrapping an arm tightly around her waist pulling her against him. "I guess I'll have to keep you close until we get home."

Kylie resisted the urge to laugh. "I think I can live with that."

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Linda was fast asleep when Kylie and Shigure got home, her head resting on the floor with her foot propped up on a pillow. "I guess Hatori was right about her being worried," Shigure whispered. "It looks like she stayed up all this time just waiting for you to return."

"I'm actually kind of glad she's asleep," Kylie told him honestly. "I don't want her seeing me like this. Hopefully by tomorrow it'll be better."

"Yes, and if I recall, Hatori said you should get plenty of rest yourself," Shigure said. "Just remember, my bed has plenty of room if you ever get lonely."

Kylie playfully poked him in the arm. "You perv."

"Well, get to bed then, you want to make sure you get as much rest as possible," Shigure said smiling. Then Kylie took the blanket lying on the floor and draped it over Linda before she went to bed.

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CM: Yay! Kylie survived Akito's wrath! Next time, the Sohma's get another unexpected visitor. Stay tuned!


	13. Decision to Meet

CM: Hello! This is a shout out to all my adored readers, thank you for the wonderful reviews! It's good to know that the work is appreciated. ^_^ We look forward to more reviews as much as you all look forward to more chapters.

_**DECISION TO MEET**_

The next morning Linda woke with a start feeling the blanket on top of her and realizing she fell asleep. She looked around and noticed someone was roaming around the kitchen. Using the table for support she stood up, grabbed her crutches and hobbled over to the door and glanced inside. The person she saw was a girl whom she did not recognize. She had dark hair that went half way down her back and when the girl turned to face her she saw that she had a young face and round grayish eyes.

"There's ANOTHER girl in the house??" She asked out loud.

"Who are you?" Linda asked limping into the room.

"That's what I'm wondering?" the girl shot back. "What are you doing in Kyo's house?"

"Okay, first of all, this is Shigure's house. Second, I live here. Now who are you?" Linda asked taking a good hold of her crutch.

"What's all this racket so early in the--" Kyo complained stepping into the kitchen. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who was there. "K-Kagura??"

"You know her?" Linda asked loosening her grip on the crutch.

"Kyo!!" Kagura squealed happily running toward him. Kyo turned tail at this and ran as fast as he could to the other side of the house. Though he really didn't get very far on account of Kagura catching up with him and throwing him through the door, which by a huge stroke of luck was still open so it didn't end up destroyed.

"I'll take that as a yes," Linda thought sweat dropping.

There was banging noise from upstairs and Kylie's tiny moans of pain. Linda hurried to the bottom of the stairs and looked up see Kylie sitting on one of the steps, with Shigure, gingerly rubbing her now bruised arm.

"What happened?" Linda asked looking up at them. She noticed how close they suddenly were and a smirk crossed her lips. "Maybe I should go check on Kyo."

"Yeah, you do that," Kylie said not liking the Cheshire cat grin that had spread on her cousin's face. She returned her attention back to her throbbing arm. "I wonder what could have caused that?"

"Well, if Kagura is here, you probably just saved my door," Shigure replied with a sigh.

"Oh, well I'm glad I could help then," she said with a grin.

Shigure helped her stand up and bent down to kiss her arm. "Does that feel better?" he asked moving his face close to hers. Once again she could feel his breath on her face and he had a look of longing on his face.

Kylie's heart suddenly tripled in its speed. "Yes," she managed to get out. She was still getting used to gazing into those alluring, obsidian eyes. She felt his arm slink around her waist, pulling her closer. "We probably shouldn't…" She began feebly but was having a hard time resisting beneath that gaze. "Someone might see…"

"No one's going to notice," Shigure whispered pulling closer still.

"Shigure-san, did you see where Kyo went?" Kagura shouted running to the base of the stairs. She noticed Kylie standing in his arms and she felt somewhat embarrassed by walking in on that. "Um…I'll just go look for him then," she stuttered backing up slowly and turning the corner.

Kylie just stood there feeling close to mortified. Shigure just looked back at her and said, "So, where were we?"

"Don't you have any shame?" Kylie asked shaking her head.

"No, you tend to lose that after losing your clothes more times than you can remember from transforming," Shigure said with a playful grin. "But if you want, we could always go to my study. It's a little more private."

Kylie couldn't help but feel tempted. "But… shouldn't we help out Kyo? It sounds like he's having some problems."

Shigure sighed heavily, "Oh alright. Let's go save him from Kagura's wrath. But later on, you're mine." With that he let her go and lead the way down the stairs.

"So, came to check on Kyo?" Linda asked from the kitchen where she was cleaning up after Kagura.

"Yeah, is he alright?" Kylie inquired.

"Well, as near as I can figure, he ran off somewhere. And she's still looking so I'm guessing he's still alive," Linda informed.

"So is Kagura also a part of the zodiac?" Kylie asked Shigure.

"As a matter of fact, she is," he said with a nod.

"Which animal?"

"She's the boar," Shigure explained.

"Ah, that would explain the sudden hostility. What has she got against Kyo though?" Linda asked standing up slowly.

"That's just how she shows her affection," Shigure told her.

"You're kidding right?" Linda guessed raising an eyebrow.

"Everyone has their own ways of showing affection for the ones they hold dear," Shigure said simply. "A simple demonstration. Kylie…"

"Yes?"

"Just let me do something real fast," he told her. Then he grabbed her hands, placed them together like she was praying and then tilted her chin upwards. "Oh, how can I tell you no with that face," Shigure gushed before pulling her into a hug.

Linda sweat dropped and laughed at the same time. "While you two love birds have your little moment I'm going to find Kagura before she breaks something," Linda said rolling her eyes and leaving the kitchen.

"Well, we seem to be unneeded," Shigure remarked.

"Well, since we're here, would you like some breakfast?" Kylie asked looking up at him.

He thought for a moment before turning her around and holding her close. "As long as it's you I don't mind," he breathed nipping at her ear.

Why was it that he seemed to know exactly what to say and do to make her turn to putty in his hands? Kylie thought as her stomach did a back flip. It hardly seemed fair. "I was actually thinking somewhere along the lines of eggs and toast."

"I guess I'll settle for that," Shigure sighed playfully letting her go again.

Shigure waited as Kylie started cooking where the only sounds were the sizzling of the eggs and the occasional shout from Kagura and/or Kyo. By the time the breakfast was finished, Linda had somehow managed to get the two of them into the Dining room without breaking anything.

"What's for breakfast?" she asked sitting down on the floor while making sure she didn't put too much pressure on her ankle.

"Something smells delicious," the soft voice of Yuki stated as he and Tohru entered the room.

"You all are up rather early this morning," Shigure noted.

"I could hardly sleep with all the racket that was being made," Yuki said glaring at Kyo as he sat down.

"Like it was MY fault!" Kyo snapped.

"I'm sorry if I woke you," Kagura said.

"You should be sorry! Now go home!" Kyo shouted.

"How about we all just settle down and have breakfast?" Kylie suggested and began serving everyone.

"I hear that," Linda said with a big grin. As soon as everyone was served Linda took the moment to find out more about Kagura. "So you're the boar huh? Why do you go after Kyo like that?" she asked taking a big bite out of her toast.

"Because I love him more than anything in the world! And we're going to get married!"

"No we're not!"

"You promised!"

"Yeah, when I was young and stupid!"

"That aspect hasn't seemed to have changed much," Yuki commented.

"Say that again, I dare you!"

"Just shut up please," Linda muttered rolling her eyes. "Okay Kagura, maybe I should rephrase that. Why do you love Kyo…..I mean how did you meet….you know things like that," Linda asked turning back to Kagura.

"We met when we were really little, and Kyo and I used to play together all the time," Kagura rambled on. "Even after I saw his other form I still…"

"Shut up," Kyo suddenly said, grabbing her by the shoulder. "Don't say another word."

Linda glanced over at Kylie seeing that there was yet another secret they kept from them. "Wow, I didn't know you guys knew each other for that long. I guess that makes sense then that you two would be so close," Linda said with a smile completely disregarding the 'other form' comment. "So I'm guessing that's why you got mad at seeing another girl here. You just didn't want competition right? Well don't worry, I'm already 20 years old so I'm too old for him and he's really not my type," Linda explained with a laugh.

"And you don't have to worry about Linda because she's taken," Kylie said offhandedly as she buttered her toast.

Linda's face burned red as she calmly turned to her cousin. "No, I'm not taken yet. You definitely are though," Linda shot back quickly.

"I guess Kagura did decide to stop by," a deep voice said from the doorway. They all looked up and saw Hatori standing there with a small black bag in his hand.

"Ah, Hatori, I didn't expect you to come by here until later," Shigure commented.

"Would you like to join us for breakfast?" Kylie offered.

"No thank you," Hatori declined. "I was merely in the neighborhood and thought that I might as well check up on you two and make sure everything is in proper working order." He walked over to Kylie first, setting down the bag and taking out a small flashlight. "Now look directly ahead," he told her before he began examining her.

"Couldn't you at least wait until AFTER breakfast to do that?" Yuki said with a sigh.

Hatori ignored him, asking Kylie questions such as did she feel dizzy, sick or disoriented. She answered no to all of the above. "I see you are doing quite well. That's good to know," Hatori said after his examination was done. "Now for Linda."

"Hang on I need to see something first," Linda said pulling herself up and heading for her room. A few minutes later she returned with a peculiar look on her face. "Wow I figured I'd be late for class today after this fiasco, but Kylie it appears we won't be having Japanese today," Linda reported sitting back down. "Actually I don't have any classes today…..for some reason they were all….canceled."

"Do you have any idea why?" Kylie asked interested.

"Didn't say," Linda said with a shrug.

"Hold on a sec," Kylie said disappearing from the kitchen.

While everyone else finished their breakfast, Hatori examined Linda's ankle. "That's rather amusing."

"What is?" She asked him.

"I thought you said you two gave your luck away. Yet wouldn't you consider it good luck that your classes have been cancelled? Unless you love school that much."

"I'm trying to figure that out myself," Linda muttered scratching her head. Just then Kylie came back and sat down with a confused look on her face. "So did it say anything?" Linda asked.

"Apparently the pipes froze and now the school flooded so all classes are canceled," Kylie replied.

"Okay….so who is that helping exactly?" Linda asked scratching her head again.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Shigure was in the corner giggling.

"This would be considered both good and bad luck for us though," Kylie told Linda. "We're going to have so much work to do once school's back again. They might even have to extend the term."

"That would be a major pain," Linda muttered. "And what are you laughing at?" she asked looking at Shigure with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing," Shigure said innocently.

"Wish that could have happened to us," Kyo muttered but ended up getting smacked on the head by Yuki. "What was that for?" Kyo shouted.

"Don't even think about it," Yuki commanded darkly.

"I'm glad we get to go to school, I like seeing all my friends as well as Haru and Momiji," Tohru said smiling.

"Well you four had better be off or you'll be late," Shigure said with a snicker. Yuki and Tohru got up and grabbed their bags before heading out followed by Kagura who was hanging off of Kyo's arm. "Now that they're gone we can enjoy the company of these two lovely ladies," Shigure said happily.

Hatori glanced up from Linda's ankle to glare at Shigure, "If you don't have anything pressing to do then I suggest you go find something and let me work."

"Fine, I can see when I'm not wanted around," Shigure replied in a sad voice before turning to look at Kylie. "Since you seem to be free today, I was wondering if you could help me with one of my novels."

"Well, I'm not sure what help I'll be but, I can try," Kylie said uncertainly. Linda shook her head. Poor naïve soul.

"Well I'm not seeing any more swelling or signs of bruising," Hatori said running his fingers up and down Linda's ankle now that the bandages were off. A shiver went down her spine and her heart skipped several beats. "No sign of pain from pressing. From the feel of it I'd say you've made a full recovery," Hatori told her as he set her foot down. "Now I want you to start walking on it to rebuild the muscles in your ankle."

Linda nodded wordlessly and got up, putting pressure on the ankle. It must have been a little too fast because she stumbled, but Hatori caught her. "It would be best if you took it slowly," he advised, half supporting her.

"T-thanks," Linda stuttered trying to get control over her emotions. With his help she stood and very slowly put wait on her other foot. It hurt but she could walk on it just fine…as long as she still had some weight on the other leg. "Great…this is fun," Linda grimaced.

"Just keep practicing, you'll get better the more you do," Hatori encouraged.

"Yeah, okay. By the way, those bruises on Kylie's face…"

Hatori stared at her for several moments. "I assume she told you what happened?"

"Yeah," Linda nodded.

"And?"

"Well, at first I was really angry… but after Kylie explained the whole thing to me, I think I want to go see him."

"You're absolutely sure about that?" Hatori asked her seriously.

"Yeah," Linda nodded. "Kylie started something, now I need to finish it."

Hatori looked at her with new found respect for her bravery but was very worried about what might happen to her. "Alright, if that's really what you want then Akito will see you in three days. That should give you enough time to walk on your foot again," Hatori said putting his hand on her shoulder.

"No worries Hatori, I can take care of myself," Linda said with a grin.

Hatori couldn't help but smile at that. "I know."

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Kylie sat close by Shigure as he was writing something. "So the two only just realized that they're attracted to each other?" Kylie inquired.

"Yes," Shigure affirmed.

"And now Yuujiro wants to express his love to Aoi so he decides to charm her," Kylie said rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"Exactly….I just need to decide how he's going to charm her. That's were you come in," Shigure said stroking her chin with his hand. "Now what method should be used to do the charming?"

"W-well," Kylie stuttered feeling herself grow hot and wondering if this had been such a good idea. "Since Aoi has had problems before she met him, I suppose he could try to brush away her insecurities. You know, have him let her know that the past doesn't matter anymore." She was speaking completely in the context of the story but half wondering to herself if she wasn't putting herself in Aoi's place only slightly.

Shigure caught her hint and pulled her into a hug. "The past doesn't matter," he told her brushing her hair out of her face.

"Should we really be together?" she asked unable to stop herself.

"You went through your trials already, and you've done all that was asked of you. Now it's Linda's turn. Besides I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't have you with me," he told her softly stroking her hair.

She let out a breath of laughter. "Even if I had gotten my memory erased, I probably would have just fallen for you all over again. I'm pretty much hopeless that way."

Shigure smiled and gave her forehead a gentle peck. "You know, this is giving me all sorts of ideas for my novel. Thank you," he whispered gently.

"Anytime," Kylie said with a smile.

"Any other helpful suggestions you might have?" He murmured teasingly.

Feeling his warm breath on her face, Kylie decided to throw caution to the wind. "I suppose the best thing for Yuujiro would be to wipe out any coherent thought before giving Aoi the chance to resist."

Shigure's smile grew as he breathed in her ear making her melt and massaged the back of her neck. "Now what were you saying about resisting?" he breathed, warm breath running over her ear and neck.

"Well," she replied softly, keeping control of her sanity. "I doubt it would be fun for Yuujiro if she gave in so easily." As she spoke, she daringly ran one hand up and down his back while the other strung its fingers through the dark locks hanging over the nape of his neck. "After all, the battle is half the fun."

Shigure laughed and squeezed her tightly, "You're right, but you won't win this one." He slowly moved his face from her ear to the front of her face and stopped only inches from her and stared into her deep blue eyes. "Here is my next attack," Shigure whispered breathing deeply.

"Do your worst," Kylie whispered breathless with anticipation.

"Don't worry," Shigure told her as he steadily grew closer. "I intend to."

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CM: Wow… that was pretty steamy…. Next time, I think you all know what's coming. Linda gets to meet Akito. Stay tuned!


	14. Finishing What Was Started

**_FINISHING WHAT WAS STARTED_**

Three days later Linda was marching around like nothing had happened and she had a light sparring match with Kyo to start the morning. "So you're going to see Akito today right?" Kyo asked as they went in for breakfast.

"Yep," Linda replied having no apprehension in her voice at all.

"You aren't scared of him?"

"No….should I be?" She took a seat at the table and breathed in the pleasant aroma of the morning meal.

"You saw what he did to Kylie," Kyo said angrily. "He might do the same thing to you."

"With the practice I've gotten from you I should be just fine. Besides, I've had worse," Linda told him nonchalantly.

"What do you mean you've had worse? You don't even know how bad Akito can get," Kyo shouted back at her.

"Judging by the injuries that Kylie sustained…..yeah I've had worse. And so has she."

Kyo stared at her in disbelief. "You're completely serious aren't you?"

"Why would I joke about something like that?" Linda asked raising an eyebrow. "Kylie and I have both had our share of close calls. I think I can take a few punches."

"And what if he decides to have Hatori erase your memories? Then what?" Kyo challenged.

"Then it happens. If I don't remember anything then I can't be mad or sad about it can I?" Linda reminded him. "I'll probably end up moving out after that….I can't tell what's going to happen but I'm glad I got to experience being friends with you guys no matter what happens after this," she added with a smirk.

Of course, that was the front she was putting on. She would never let Kyo know about all the worries that were stewing deep in the pit of her stomach. The thought of forgetting about them, about Hatori… it was enough to make her sick. But she was good at hiding her insecurities. There was a small knocking at the door and Linda went to the door to find Hatori waiting.

"Are you ready?" he asked a hint of worry in his voice.

"Yep," Linda answered with a grin. She turned back to the inside of the house and shouted, "I'm going now so I'll see you guys later." Then she followed Hatori out the door and to the car ignoring Kylie's shouts of wanting to come along while being held back by Shigure.

"You sure you don't want her there with you?" Hatori asked as he got into his car.

"Yes….she had her time with Akito and shouldn't have to deal with him again. This is my meeting….I need to do this…alone," Linda replied taking deep breaths as she spoke.

"I understand," Hatori said, putting the key into the ignition and starting the car. "I caution you though, Akito is known for having a temper. I ask that you don't do or say anything that might upset him."

"I'll keep that in mind," Linda replied before staring out the window as the car pulled out of the driveway and headed toward the Sohma house.

It didn't take long and in practically no time at all Linda was standing in front of the door to Akito's room gulping down the butterflies that had appeared in her stomach. Then Hatori opened the door and he and Linda walked into the dimly lit room. Inside Linda saw a small bed to one corner, a small window in the opposite wall and young man sitting in the middle of the floor.

"That must be Akito," she thought to herself.

"I want you to wait outside, Hatori," Akito commanded in a cold voice from his spot on the floor.

"Remember what I told you," Hatori whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder and gave it a light, reassuring squeeze before backing out of the room and closing the door.

Once they were alone Akito turned to look at her, detestation in his eyes. "So, you must be the one who works beneath Hatori." he spoke softly as he stood up, straightening his robes. "Are you… enjoying yourself?"

"Yes, working under Hatori-sama has been a very….enlightening experience," Linda replied choosing each word carefully.

"I assume then that if I had Hatori erase your memories that would be very painful for you wouldn't it?" Akito asked viciously.

"I'm not sure….I've never forgotten anybody before," Linda replied smoothly.

Akito placidly walked up to Linda before giving her a hard slap on the face. "Don't get conceited, you little tramp," he whispered dangerously. "From what I've heard, you're related to that witch. If that's the case, you must be a witch too."

"Kylie is not a witch and neither am I," Linda declared standing her ground and keeping a straight face.

"Who do you think you are speaking to me like that?" Akito whispered landing a slap on the other side of her face.

"My name is Linda Jones and I am just a simple girl," Linda replied looking back at him.

He hit her again becoming angrier by the second. "You think you're so superior just because you can use your evil to try and break our family apart!" He hit her once more. "You're trying to destroy our happiness!"

"If you mean breaking the curse, I can't even break my own curse much less yours," Linda replied calmly. Akito became so angry that when he hit her she was sent reeling to the floor. Then she slowly stood up again and faced him and all his furry again. "Do you get pleasure in hurting others?" Linda asked with pity in her eyes.

"What was that?" Akito asked seething.

"Does hurting people make you feel good?" Linda repeated.

Akito clenched his teeth as he grabbed a hold of her hair and pulling so hard she was yanked off of her feet and landed painfully on her knees. "What do you know? Stop talking as if you know everything!"

"I understand that you have a large weight on your shoulders, but I also understand that you don't have to go at it alone," Linda told him trying very hard to keep her voice steady and ignore the pain.

"Shut up! You can't help me! No one can!" He shrieked, pulling even harder so that Linda could feel some of the hair being uprooted.

"The other members want to help you, Kylie wants to help you, and….I want to help you," Linda said somehow getting onto her feet. "We care about you and don't want you to have to go through this alone."

"Shut up! Shut up! Who says I need your help!?" Akito said, his voice cracking. Then to his great amazement, Linda wrapped her arms around him tightly. "What do you think you're doing? Stop it!" He shouted trying to shove her off.

"No matter what you say….I'm going to do what I can to help you out….even if it is pointless," Linda told him holding on tight. At that moment Hatori opened the door and was surprised to see the two embracing. "Oh by the way….Kylie says hi," she added pulling away from him and smiled at the confusion on his face.

Akito let go of her hair and jumped back as if he had been shocked. Linda kept smiling until exhaustion over took her and she fell backwards.

Hatori rushed forward and caught her before she hit the floor. He looked up to see if Akito would try attacking again, but the head seemed to be in a state of dazed confusion. "Akito…"

"Take her and get out," Akito said harshly. Hatori didn't dare argue. He lifted Linda up in his arms and walked out with her, leaving Akito to mull over his emotions.

"You don't have to do that you know," Linda muttered from his arms. "I can walk."

"You are in no state to do that right now so just relax and let me take care of you," Hatori retorted refusing to let her go.

"Okay," Linda whispered her eyelids flickering before she fell asleep leaning her head against his chest.

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When Hatori brought her back to Shigure's house after treating her injuries, she was still sleeping. Everyone was sad to see the battle wounds the visit had left her, but glad to hear from Hatori that she would be alright and that she had suffered less damage than Kylie had.

"So you didn't here any crashing noises the entire time?" Shigure asked surprised.

"No…I heard a lot of shouting but not much else. When I went in to help I saw that she was hugging Akito. I've never seen him so stunned before," Hatori explained deep in thought. He was sitting in the dining room with Shigure, Yuki and Kyo while Kylie and Tohru kept watch over Linda.

"It seems that they have somehow touched him," Shigure said with a light smile.

"Yes, I don't doubt the two had some influence over him," Hatori said somberly. "You didn't see, but after Kylie left… he was crying."

"What? Akito crying?" Kyo and Yuki both exclaimed at the same time.

"Wait so Akito cried when Kylie visited and then you tell us that Linda actually hugged him?" Kyo shouted surprised.

"How do those two always manage to do the impossible?" Yuki asked stunned.

"Who's to say what's impossible?" Shigure asked whimsically. "After all, wouldn't most find it impossible to transform into an animal simply by hugging someone of the opposite sex?"

"You've got a point," Yuki muttered. "However, so far they've managed to hug us with us changing only after a delay, bring good luck to just about everyone in this family, and managed to hug and make Akito cry."

"Come now, Yuki, Kyo," Shigure said looking at the pair. "Despite what you might think, even Akito is human. He was just brought up special. I think that the two girls realized that and simply opened his eyes to that fact."

"That might be, but now what?" Kyo asked.

"Well, Akito did not say that they had to leave so as far as that goes they will continue to live here," Hatori explained. "Other than that….I suppose it's up to them."

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"Glad to see you made it back," Kylie told her cousin as she stirred awake.

"Come on, you know me. Solid as a rock… ow…" Linda replied wincing as she sat up.

"So how did it go?"

"Better than I expected actually," Linda replied. "I can see what you meant by relating to him. The scary thing is, I almost saw myself in him. I used to feel that way all the time."

Kylie nodded in understanding. "Well, we've been given the privilege of keeping our memories… but do you really think we should keep burdening them like this?"

Linda stared up at her cousin. She could understand what Kylie was getting at, and she knew that Kylie probably wanted nothing more than to continue living in the house for obvious reasons. But they both also knew that their presence was causing much dilemma and confusion for everyone.

"You're right….okay as soon as we have enough money to pay for an apartment we'll let them know we're moving out," Linda sighed really not wanting to leave at all. "We will still keep in contact with them though so it shouldn't be all that bad, and I don't think we'll have to quit our jobs either."

Kylie solemnly agreed. They both decided to wait until Linda was well enough to go back to work again.

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A few days later Linda and Kylie both walked into the kitchen. "Um, hello everyone." Everyone, being Shigure, Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru, looked up at them expectantly. "Um, we have something to tell you," Kylie said hesitantly. "Um… Linda?"

"Of course, let Linda say it," Linda said rolling her eyes. She took a deep breath having all four pairs of eyes on her. "We've earned enough money now for a place of our own so we were planning on moving out," she announced with a smile.

"What?!" the four of them shouted in surprise.

"You're moving out even after everything you went through just to stay here?" Kyo asked slamming his hand on the table.

"We just don't want to be a burden any longer. You've done so much for us already and with all the stuff that's happened lately we really think it would be best if we moved out," Kylie explained quickly.

"You two have never been a burden to us and we are truly happy to have you here with us. We would be very sad if you left us now," Shigure told them standing up.

"He's right, it has been….rather fun since you've been here," Yuki added softly.

"We're sorry," Kylie said looking down at the floor. She didn't think she could bear to look at Shigure's face. "We promise we'll still come visit you guys."

"It's not like we're cutting off all contact or something. We'll get you guys our number and address after we get them," Linda added quickly. "And we'll still be going to work with Hatori and Ayame." She picked up the small bag she was carrying and turned toward the door. "We're going apartment hunting today so we might have a new place within the next couple days," she told them before opening the door and waiting for Kylie. Kylie picked up her own bag and followed her, not daring to look back.

Once the door closed behind them and a few minutes passed Kyo stood up. "I don't get it! What the hell are they thinking?"

"They probably feel that eventually we might start staying away from them for fear of causing them harm," Shigure guessed sadly as he watched Kylie through the window. "Maybe this is for the best for all of us." But no one in the room seemed to believe that.

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Linda and Kylie spent the whole day looking for an available apartment within their price range but to no avail. By night fall they were down to their last possible place and were sore and downtrodden. "This is it…if they don't have anything for us we'll have to try again another day," Linda muttered glancing up at the large and somewhat rundown apartment complex.

They went inside and walked up to the counter where a friendly looking old man was sitting looking as though he was about to fall asleep. He straightened when Kylie and Linda approached the desk. "What can I do for you two young ladies?"

"We're looking to rent a room if there are any available," Linda explained shaking off the lecherous stare.

"Is it for just the two of you or will you be having others in your room?" he asked with a glint in his eye.

"It's just us," Linda replied with a shy grin.

"Let's see…" He said checking his information. "Ah yes, we do have a room on the third floor. It's in fairly good condition so you shouldn't have any problems with it."

"When's the soonest we can move in?" Kylie asked.

"It can be ready for you by tomorrow morning," he said smiling.

"Great, we'll be by tomorrow to check in," Linda told him with a grin. Then she and Kylie headed outside and back to Shigure's place after everyone had already gone to bed. "We'd better get our things packed tonight, we'll be moving in tomorrow and we'll want to make sure we're ready," she muttered to Kylie.

"Yeah," Kylie said sadly.

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It only took the two of them together a few hours to pack and once they were finished Linda was passed out asleep on the bed. Kylie decided she should probably go to bed too, but she first went to the kitchen for a small snack since she was extremely hungry, and could never fall asleep when she was feeling like that. She opened the refrigerator to see if there were perhaps any leftovers from the dinner they had missed.

"Up a little late aren't we?" Shigure asked coming through the kitchen door. "I figured you'd be asleep by now….considering all that you did today."

Kylie straightened and looked at him. "I was just getting something to nibble on. What are you doing up so late?"

"Just finishing up my manuscript," Shigure said lazily leaning against the door frame.

Shoot, he was blocking the way out, Kylie thought. She was only doing what she thought was in everyone's best interest but then why did she feel so guilty? "You know… it's bad to eat right before you go to sleep. I think I'll just go to bed. Long day tomorrow."

"Don't let me stand in your way," Shigure said without moving from in front of the doorway. "It would be best if you did go to bed."

"Okay," Kylie said slowly. "There's only one exit to this kitchen you know."

"Well, I would hope so considering how long I've been living here," Shigure said with a small smile curving the edge of his lips. "But like I said, don't let me stand in your way."

And then Kylie understood what he was getting at. He wasn't going to let her pass without a fight. Kylie decided to try the most common method and tried to simply walk around him. That didn't go over so well. The moment she got close enough Shigure wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into a hug…her back against his chest.

"Shigure, I really need to get to bed," Kylie pleaded half-heartedly.

"You can go…I'm not stopping you," Shigure replied putting his mouth to her ear.

Kylie shivered as his teeth began to gently nibble at the tender flesh. No, she couldn't let that cloud her thoughts. She tried to pull out of his grasp but he merely tightened his hold on her. So then she tried grabbing his hands and attempted prying them apart.

Seeing her attempt to escape he used one hand to grab a hold of hers and then used the other one to continue to hold her in place. "Is there something wrong? I thought you were going to bed," Shigure said playfully.

Kylie was trying her hardest not to smile as she squirmed around trying to loosen herself. "I… am." She had almost gotten loose but Shigure snatched her back and was able to easily pin her arms behind her back and she let out a squeak. "Leggo."

"I don't ever want to let you go," Shigure declared nipping at her ear once again. "I really don't want you to leave tomorrow. Isn't there any chance that you could stay here?"

Kylie's shoulders sank and she ceased her struggles momentarily. "It's not like I'm going away forever. We can still see each other."

"Yes we can, but it won't be the same…and it won't be everyday," Shigure complained. "I want you to stay here…with me." He hugged her again but this time turned her so that she was now facing him. "Please stay with me."

His words tugged at Kylie's heart and she wished that she could just say 'yes'. But she had Linda to think about, not just herself. "I can't explain it now," Kylie told him, running a hand through his beautifully messy hair. "But I promise you, I will eventually."

He sighed and gave her a quick peck before releasing her. "Before you go…I…would like you to have this," Shigure said before she could leave. He pulled out a small package that was wrapped and had a small bow on it. "Now don't open this until you reach your new home, but hopefully this will bring you some luck."

Kylie took it with a smile. "This is probably the first time anyone's ever given ME luck…. Thank you," she said and gave Shigure a kiss on the cheek before turning and heading for bed.

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CM: All together now. Awwwwwwwwwwwwww! Next time, the girls move out. How will they fair being on their own? Stay tuned to find out!


	15. A String of Misfortune

**_A STRING OF MISFORTUNE_**

The next day Linda and Kylie said goodbye to the Sohmas and left for their new apartment. Upon arrival the old man they had met the day before helped them get their things up the three flights of stairs and into their room. "I am not going to like going up and down those things," Linda stated as soon as they finished settling in. "Though if there was an elevator I wouldn't be too keen to ride it either."

"It won't be so bad, as long as we just keep our distance from other people, we should be fine," Kylie told her as she finished making her bed. There was a kock on the door and Kylie and Linda exchanged glances.

"You want me to…" Linda began.

Kylie shook her head. "No, I can do it." She walked over to the door and cracked it open to see who it was.

"I noticed you two just moved in and I wanted to be the first to welcome you," a tall and rather large guy who looked about their age said with a crooked smile. He had long greasy blonde hair and an air of someone to stay away from.

"Who is it?" Linda called from her bed.

"You're… Ryota Ishigawa, right?" Kylie said in surprise.

"You know him, Kylie?" Linda asked warily.

"Well, he's in my English class, but we've never really spoken before."

"Yeah it's me. You're the one that strange substitute favored," Ryota guessed with a smile. "Who's with you?"

"My cousin," Kylie said not opening the door any further.

"Well, I know you just moved in and all, but I don't suppose you have a pair of scissors, do you?"

"We might," Kylie said, her compulsive kindness taking over. "Let me check."

She turned around and saw that Linda had left the bedroom and was now leaning against the wall watching the door. "He wants scissors?" she asked raising an eyebrow. "Yeah I've got an extra pair. Let me go get it." With that she headed back to the room returning seconds later with the scissors in hand.

Kylie took the scissors from her and went back to the door where Ryota stood waiting patiently. She handed them to him. "Here you go."

"Thanks," he said taking them with a nod. "I'll bring them back as soon as I'm done." Kylie nodded before shutting the door.

"So who was that guy again?" Linda asked sitting in one of the chairs.

"He's a guy in my English class. I really don't know him very well but he doesn't seem too bad," Kylie explained.

"Whatever, just as long as giving him those scissors didn't give him any good luck it should be just fine," Linda sighed. "I just hope he doesn't come over here everyday like some of our old nosy neighbors."

"Let's just relax," Kylie told her sitting down on her bed. "I read the school web page and it's starting up again tomorrow so we'll probably be busy."

Linda nodded and together they took the rest of the day resting up, making sure their school stuff was ready, and sending their address and phone number to the Sohmas through the mail. Monday came a lot sooner than expected and the two girls soon realized just how busy they were going to be. In Japanese class they had to make up almost a months worth of work in one week plus start on the material they were supposed to be on. In English Kylie found that she had three 5 page essays due by the end of the week. In Chemistry Linda had to do 4 separate labs as well as their reports and had to do all the lectures that were missed. Kylie also had to do 4 labs, their reports, and the missed lectures in her Bio class. Finally Linda had the privilege of going over a months worth of sports and fitness tests as well as the weeks that she couldn't because of her ankle.

When Kylie and Linda got home from work they were both ready to collapse onto their beds and go to sleep. "I can't believe this," Linda groaned.

"Well, I think the curse is making it's cycle about now," Kylie said setting her bag down.

"No kidding…I knew not having school for a long time would come back to bite us but I wasn't expecting it to hit us this hard. I don't know how long I can keep up with PE at this point much less the other classes," Linda groaned.

"I know what you mean but we do need to get the homework done for tomorrow," Kylie told her heading over to one of the desks.

"Yeah, yeah. How long do you suppose it'll take to get it all done?" Linda asked wearily sitting at her own desk and pulling her homework toward her.

"I don't even want to think about it," Kylie replied getting started on her own.

They worked on their homework for about an hour or so before a knock disturbed the silence. "It's not that guy again is it?" Linda asked quietly, unable to help herself. Kylie shot her a look of warning before going to the door and opening it to see Ryota holding out the scissors he had borrowed.

"Thanks," he said.

"No problem," Kylie replied taking them. She was about to close the door but he stopped her.

"I got a promotion at my job today," he told her casually.

"Oh… that's really great," Kylie said trying to sound happy for him but she could hear Linda shift as she looked up from her work upon hearing this news.

"Yeah, funny thing is as soon as I got the news I noticed your cousin over there fell over a trashcan," he continued a grin starting to spread across his face. "I couldn't understand it until just a few moments ago, when I heard you through the door something about giving away luck and getting hurt afterwards."

By this point Linda was at the door and a glare shone quite clearly on her tired face. "Look pal it's been a hard day….so if you don't go now I'll call the cops," she threatened.

"Really now?" Ryota said not seeming at all daunted by her taunts. "And what do you think people would say if they found out about you're little luck giving?"

Linda bit back the retort she was dying to give because she knew what it could mean. "What do you want?" she finally asked calming herself down.

"Let's see…my buddy and me," he started indicating the gangly guy with several piercings next to him that Kylie recognized from Biology, "need someone to do our homework for us while we spend our time at our jobs. In the meantime we have a huge test coming up that we'll need a bit of luck for." He glanced from Kylie to Linda as he spoke indicating who he wanted to do what.

"Ryota, are you sure you know what the heck you're talking about?" The gangly guy asked as he pulled out a comb and ran it through his dark spiky hair with yellow tips. "If this is just another one of your pranks I'm gonna be seriously pissed off."

"It's no prank, Eiji" Ryota said. "Though I suppose the real test will be tomorrow, won't it girls?"

Linda narrowed her eyes and her fists shook but she clenched her teeth so that she wouldn't say something to make the situation worse, they would figure out how to stop it, one way or another.

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CM: Oh noes, what's to become of them? I know, agonizingly short chapter. I'm sorry. Stay tuned to find out. Your reviews are greatly appreciated. ;)


	16. The Price of a Secret

CM: I felt bad for putting up such a short chapter last time. It's been busy what with reading week and finals being nigh. So here! Enjoy! ^_^ And thanks for the reviews! Please keep them coming. -bambi eyes-

_**The Price of a Secret**_

The next few days were possibly some of the worst days of Kylie and Linda's lives. And with their luck, that was saying something. Kylie was so busy working on homework for three that she ended up pulling all nighters in order to do the research. Linda was getting banged up more than was usual, even for her. Both Hatori and Ayame were becoming very disconcerted when their employees kept coming in fatigued and miserable.

Thursday came, three days into their servitude, and Linda had several bruises all over her body and nobody wanted anything to do with her in PE or Chemistry. She was glad that her fatigue and bad luck hadn't yet caused her to stab or douse chemicals over herself or anyone around her. This day ended up being even worse. From the first morning greeting at the door and hearing that Ryota's test was today Linda knew that she was about to experience her worst nightmare.

That day she tripped for the hundredth time going down the stairs and hit her head really hard on the wall and almost loosing her consciousness. Then once she managed to make it to school the desk broke beneath her in Japanese, the chalk broke in Chemistry, and she somehow managed to pop the soccer ball they were working with in PE. As school came to an end Linda waited for Kylie at the entrance sporting a bruised elbow.

Kylie had been forced to not only do the two boys' homework, but they also had her completely clean and organize their filthy apartment home. Several times she had fallen asleep in her classes, and her usual bright disposition was dulled by weariness. When she approached Linda, her eyes had visible dark circles beneath them and she looked almost zombie like. When she was in front of Linda she rested her head against Linda's shoulder and almost attempted to fall asleep right there.

"I know your tired Kylie but we still have to get to work," Linda told her softly. She pushed Kylie's head up off her shoulder and gave her cousin a reassuring smile.

"Oh hey Linda…you looked like a pillow there for a second. Hehehehe," Kylie said rubbing her tired eyes.

"I understand, but this should blow over just like the other one did. If it doesn't happen soon then I'll find someway to stop it," Linda promised. "One way or another we are going to get out of this situation."

"Yeah, I know," Kylie said with a weak smile. "Well, gotta get to work. Can't keep Ayame-san waiting. Then I need to have Shigure proof read the papers and clean the bathroom and…" She walked off, muttering all the things that still needed to be done, stumbling every now and then. Linda shook her head but dared not attempt to help her cousin. Doing so just might end up in an accident.

Linda walked slowly to Hatori's office trying to give herself enough time to catch her breath and work out her sore muscles before she saw him. As she walked she thought about the first time and wondered why. Why is it that if someone decides to use the good luck for their own personal gain, become the only ones who can receive it and why they can use the good luck even if they weren't anywhere nearby. She had to stop thinking about it, however, as she had just arrived at her work.

She trudged in unsure of how things would go or how Hatori would react but she knew that not showing up would make him more suspicious than usual. She was right to be worried as Hatori glanced at her worriedly when she walked through the door.

"Are you feeling okay? You look exhausted," Hatori said turning to look at her.

"I'm fine…just having it tough with all the makeup work we have to do because of how long the school was closed," Linda explained.

"Yes they must be working you hard. I heard from Ayame that Kylie is looking just as tired if not more so than you," he added looking for a response.

"Not surprising. She has a lot more work she has to do than I do as one of my classes is PE," Linda explained blowing it off.

Hatori closed his eyes for a moment. "I can understand if you don't want to tell me what has been going on the last few days. However, I don't appreciate seeing my assistant coming in everyday looking as if she had just survived a car accident."

"Sorry," Linda replied.

"What no smart comeback?" Hatori asked starting to feel even more worried.

"Sorry," Linda repeated before going back to her work. Hatori left her to her work but kept an eye on her through out the working process.

After a couple hours of non painful work Linda got up to put away some files away and tripped knocking over a glass paper weight and it shattered on the ground. "I can't take it anymore," Linda shouted and she completely broke down while trying to pick up the broken pieces.

Hatori came into the room having been alerted by the sound of something breaking. When he saw Linda sobbing on the floor picking up the glass pieces he rushed forward and kneeled down next to her. "Here…" he offered to help.

"I can do it," she muttered fiercely trying to move the pieces away from his reach and ended up cutting her hand as a result. "Great…. Just great! Another thing to add to the list, thanks a lot!" She shouted at Hatori.

Hatori looked at her, unflinchingly in the face of her frustrated screams. He didn't get angry, instead he reached out and gently stroked her forehead. "Linda… what happened? You can tell me anything and I'll listen."

"It's just one of those days," Linda muttered looking the other way. She put her hand down to pick up more of the glass but Hatori caught her hand and wrapped it in a bandage.

"You need to be more careful," he said softly. She pulled her hand back and looked away. She glanced back when she heard the glass shifting around and saw Hatori finishing cleaning up the mess and throwing the broken pieces in the trash.

"Thanks," Linda mumbled and was about to go back to work, but Hatori gently touch her shoulder.

"I think that's enough work for the day. You can go home if you'd like."

"I really should finish up my days work," Linda insisted going back to the stack of files.

Linda felt her heart leap when she felt two hands take a hold of her arms and Hatori's low voice speaking softly in her ear. "A good assistant does what she's told."

Linda's head dropped in defeat and she started crying again. "I have to finish. I can't let Kylie down," she cried her arms shaking in Hatori's grasp.

Hatori gently turned her around and held her against him, stroking her hair gently as she completely lost it and began weeping freely into his chest. She cried until her eyes were bloody red her salty tears stained her face. "Please, Linda," Hatori requested, lifting her face up to look at him. "Please… just rest a while. He pulled her closer and in her exhausted state she just stared at him. Then slowly his face drew closer to hers and he whispered, "I love you and will always be here for you." She could feel his warm breath on her face and her heart hammered in her chest. Then the breath vanished and she melted in his arms.

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Kylie sat in Shigure's study while he proof read her papers. Normally she wouldn't have bothered him with it, but in truth she had really just wanted to see him. Ayame had been kind enough to let her sleep during her shift by modeling his newest doll-like nightgown outfit so she was of slightly stable mind.

"They are all very good…but why so many?" Shigure asked glancing up from the 15th essay.

"Well we're making up the time we missed," Kylie explained.

"They're making you do 15 essays for it?" Shigure exclaimed raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, well… that's school, I guess," Kylie laughed not looking at him.

In fact…Shigure noticed that she hadn't looked at him the entire time she was there. "Kylie," he said putting the paper down. "Is something going on that I should know about?"

"No, everything's great. I know I promised I would visit but I've just been really busy and I'm sorry for having to trouble you with this," She rambled as she hurriedly picked up the papers and began straightening them.

"What's wrong?" he asked again placing a hand on hers. "You aren't looking at me again. You can tell me anything, you know that right." He kept his hand over hers and sat there waiting for some sign that his suspicions were wrong.

Kylie sat there for several moments until she hung her head. "I'm just…. really tired."

"This isn't going to last for long will it?" he asked concerned. "You really don't look very good. Maybe you should go see Hatori."

"I'm fine," she assured him with a weary smile. "I just need some rest, that's all."

"You'll let me know if things start to go wrong, won't you?" He asked her.

Kylie swallowed the lump in her throat but was unable to answer. After a few moments of silence she stood up unable to face him. Because she knew that if she did she would end up telling him everything. "Thank you for the help, Shigure. I'll see you later."

He watched her leave and knew that if he didn't do something to help soon….things were going to get worse. He had no clue, however, how right he was.

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That Saturday afternoon Linda and Kylie both came home early having been sent home by their employers and they collapsed on their beds. "I don't think I can take any more of this," Linda muttered sporting several more bruises and cuts along her legs and back. "I don't care anymore who they tell…this needs to stop and it needs to stop now."

"But what happens if the wrong people find out and we can't escape from it?" Kylie asked sitting up as best as she could.

"We can deal with this. We've been dealing with it our whole lives and we can do it now," Linda replied trying to give Kylie courage as well as herself. There was a banging noise on the door and Linda gave her cousin's shoulder a reassuring squeeze before striding over to the door and asked through it, "What do you want? We're trying to rest."

"Open the door Linda, I've brought a few friends to experience your….good luck," Ryota replied with a laugh.

Linda grinned despite her fatigue. "Forget it, the deals off Ryota," she said through the door.

"What do you mean the deals off? Don't forget I know your secret," Ryota asked angrily.

"The deal was you keep the secret and we do what you want, the moment you told your….buddies, the deal became void," Linda explained smoothly.

"You little… I figured you might try to pull something like this." Then to someone else he said, "Shoot the lock."

Linda clenched her teeth and took several steps backward. "Kylie," she said getting her cousins attention. "Listen, I want you to get out of here. I'll hold them off long enough for you to run and then I'll follow…I promise."

"No…" Kylie said looking scared but resolute. "I'm not leaving you alone with them."

"Dangit, Kylie, this isn't the time!" There was a ping sound following directly by the breaking apart of metal and the door was flung open. Through it came five guys, two of them being Ryota and his roommate.

"Now go," Linda shouted facing off against the five men all of which were bigger than her. "Oh what I wouldn't give to have Kyo with me right now," she thought glaring at them.

"So you've decided not to help us anymore? Too bad….I was having a lot of fun," Ryota said with a smirk as Linda took her stance.

While Linda was fighting the hulks off, Kylie came back into the room just as one of the men charged at Linda from behind. She jumped in between him and her cousin and held a can of pepper spray to his face and sprayed him with it. He howled in pain and began stumbling around and dropped the gun he had been carrying. Kylie quickly grabbed it and flung it out the window.

Just as she was about to go help Linda, another guy grabbed the wrist that was holding the pepper spray and bent it backwards in order to take it away from her. There was a loud crack and Kylie screamed as pain shot through her arm. The guy backhanded her and she fell to the floor in pain.

"Kylie!" Linda said dropping her guard to glance over at her cousin.

Ryota took her moment of distraction to sock her in the face. Linda took several steps backward to get her senses back but was given no time. Eiji grabbed her arms and held them behind her back as Ryota started hammering her in the stomach and face.

"Now what was that about the deal being over?" he mocked sending another one into her gut and laughing as she doubled over in pain.

The guy who broke Kylie's wrist walked past Ryota and took hold of Linda's chin. "I say we have some fun with them, Ryota. I don't mind my women a little bloodied up."

While the four were paying attention to Linda, no one seemed to notice Kylie slowly getting up off the floor. She didn't notice her cell phone glowing as it slid out of her pocket either. She pushed herself up, the pain in her wrist almost non existent as the adrenaline was beginning to over take her.

"Let her go!!" She shrieked and she charged at them. One actually ducked away in surprise as Kylie jumped on Ryota's back and locked her bad arm around his neck pulling it tight with her good hand, and cutting off his oxygen supply.

The other three watched in shock as this little American managed to bring Ryota to his knees before he passed out. Linda glanced up through her haze and smiled at her cousin's bravery and ability. "You're mine," the taller of the three remaining bullies said reaching out to grab her by the wrist. Eiji watched in good humor and in doing so loosened his grip on Linda.

She took his slip up and slammed her foot down his shin and onto his foot making him let go. Then she turned and shoved the heel of her hand into his nose breaking it and making him fall to the ground with pain.

The other two guys tried to pull Kylie off Ryota but she wasn't letting go. One had taken a hold of her hair while the other was attempting to pry her arms off of Ryota's neck.

The one who grabbed her arms pulled at the wrist that was broken and as the pain shot through her arm she let go being pulled up by the hair. Linda saw her cousin in trouble after dealing with Eiji and she rammed her shoulder into the back of the one that had her hair bruising her shoulder but releasing her cousin. The man went down stunned while the other one took aim and delivered a decisive blow to Linda's jaw sending her flying into the wall and slumping to the ground unmoving.

Kylie, recovering from her momentary pain, instinctively kicked the guy who hit her cousin as hard as she could in the knee cap. He fell to the floor and Kylie rushed over to her cousin and wrapping her good arm around Linda's waist, dragged her into the bathroom and locked the door. She collapsed against the tub, breathing heavily, hugging her unconscious cousin close to her. As time passed, she could hear the five men slowly recovering.

As soon as all five of them were on their feet again they went to the bathroom which was the closest place to where Linda fell….and the door was closed. "Alright you two we know you're in there. Just open the door and we can end this," Ryota commanded pounding on the door. "Kylie, if you don't open this door then we're going through it. We underestimated you midgets before but this time you won't succeed." He paused waiting to hear a response only to be met by nothing. "Linda can't save you this time. You never had to worry about losing your luck because she begged me to leave you alone. Now she's not awake and can't protect you so just open the door, we're coming in anyway."

Kylie sat on the bathroom floor trembling as she held her cousin in her arms. She stroked her cousin's hair only to have blood come off onto her hand. Linda already looked pale. If she didn't get help soon… This was her fault, she knew. Linda was always having to protect her…. why couldn't she do the same thing in return? Why couldn't she be strong like her cousin? "Someone… please…" she whispered a prayer, "…help."

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CM: Is the end nigh? Will the shadow of their curse swallow them and finally end their suffering? Stay tuned!


	17. Recovery Interests

_**RECOVERY INTERESTS**_

The bathroom door shook as one of the men rammed their shoulder against it. He rammed it several times and Kylie was sure that it wouldn't hold any longer. As suddenly as it had started the ramming stopped and she heard the footsteps of three other people. "Who are you boys?" Ryota asked. "Well I guess it doesn't matter, but if you want those two girls you'll have to wait your turn."

"You know, it's guys like you that really piss me off," Haru's voice echoed through the room.

"I don't usually agree with you Black Haru, but this time I'm going to tear them to pieces," Kyo's voice added just as threateningly.

"They really did pick the wrong pair to tangle with," Yuki agreed angrily.

Kylie listened numbly as the three high school students easily took out the five practically grown men in hardly any time at all. "That should teach them," Haru stated sounding somewhat satisfied.

"Miss Kylie, Miss Linda, are you in there?" Yuki's soft voice asked. Kylie didn't answer. She just continued to sit there, the pain in her arm intensifying as the adrenaline came crashing down.

"Very good job you three," Shigure said coming to the door. "Kylie, are you alright?" he asked kindly. "Kylie it's me, you don't have to worry. They won't be bothering you two any longer."

"Is Linda in there with you?" Hatori asked noticing that there was no sign of her anywhere.

Kylie wasn't sure why, but hearing the voices of the two adults was the breaking point. Tears began rolling off of Kylie's cheeks, unbidden. "She's hurt, Linda's hurt, and it's because I couldn't protect her." She was talking to no one in particular, really, and her voice was choked with tears, but the boys listened anyway. "We were so happy when we were allowed to stay with the Sohmas… happy that we had found a place where people could accept us. But once we actually had gotten permission to live there, we had lost all of our confidence. We didn't want them to eventually grow tired or afraid of us. So we thought that maybe putting some distance would help. But then someone found out but we didn't want to tell anyone because we didn't want to be a burden. And now Linda's hurt and it's because I didn't say anything… I didn't…" Kylie let out a shuddering sob. "I should have helped her. I should have been stronger."

There was a moment of silence before a resounding click pierced the air. "Piece of cake," Haru said triumphantly.

"I don't even want to know how you did that," Kyo and Yuki said together.

The door opened and in stepped Shigure and Hatori with concern and worry on their faces. "Let her go Kylie," Shigure said gently touching her hand. "We won't let her leave just yet." Kylie didn't let Linda go right away. "Kylie, please," Shigure gently implored. "Hatori will do all he can for her but you have to let him help. You need to let US help."

"Just one thing," Kylie said softly.

"Yes? What is it?" Shigure asked.

Kylie looked up at him with watery eyes. "Could we please come home?"

He smiled and nodded his consent. Kylie looked down and her cousin one last time before releasing her grip and allowing Hatori to pick her up and take her out of the room. "Come on Kylie, let's go home," Shigure said offering his hand.

"Kyo, Yuki, Haru, I need you three to gather up their things and take them back to Shigure's house. Shigure and I will be taking Kylie and Linda to the medical center….tell Tohru we'll be back later," Hatori said dealing out orders.

Kylie was helped up by Shigure while being mindful of her injury. "I hate to admit this but, it's a good thing you called my brother when you did," Yuki stated.

Kylie stared at him in confusion. "But… I didn't call anyone. I never got the chance."

Yuki went over to one of the desks and picked something off the ground before handing it to her. Kylie took it and found that it was her cell phone….somehow it had fallen out of her pocket during the scuffle. "According to my brother, he answered his phone only to hear shouts and sounds of some sort of fight. He then called Shigure and Hatori and they brought us along," Yuki explained.

Kylie reached into her back pocket and pulled out the package that Shigure had given her that had been with the phone. She had kept forgetting to open it so she kept carrying it around in her pocket in order to remind herself to open it. It must have pressed against her cell phone and activated her speed dial before the phone fell out of her pocket. The wrapping had come slightly undone it the scuffle so she had no problems opening it one handed.

Her eyes widened when she saw, in the palm of her hand, a cell phone charm in the shape of a dog that reminded Kylie of Shigure when he transformed. "I guess it gave you some luck after all," Shigure said into Kylie's ear softly.

Kylie smiled, tears building up in her eyes once more as she rested her head into the crevice of Shigure's shoulder. "Everyone… thank you all so much."

They smiled and Kyo ruffled her hair a bit. Then Shigure helped Kylie downstairs to the waiting car where Hatori was just finishing up wrapping Linda's head to stop the bleeding. As soon as Kylie was situated in the back of the car holding tightly to Linda they headed off toward the Sohma hospital and a private room.

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It didn't take long to get Linda hooked up to the machines and once the worst of her wounds were bound Hatori allowed Kylie to clean her face.

"Mmm…" Linda's head gently rolled to the other side in response to Kylie's administrations. "Mom?"

Kylie was more than glad to see Linda somewhat awake. "No Lin, it's me, Kylie."

"Kylie? When did… you get here?" Her words were coming out slow and mumbled.

"What are you talking about silly? I've always been here," Kylie told her dabbing at her face again.

"Mom…Kylie….it hurts," Linda mumbled turning her head slowly from side to side. "Ho…ho…how's….J…James?"

Kylie's stomach suddenly gave a violent twist upon hearing that name. Hatori stared at Kylie. "Who is James?" he asked.

"Linda…" Kylie looked up at Hatori. "James was a boy she tried to save years ago, but instead she got really hurt and he ended up dying. But why would she be remembering that now?"

Hatori looked at Linda worriedly. "Her head was hit rather hard. It's possible that she's reliving past memories."

Tears suddenly started streaming down Linda's cheeks. "No," Linda muttered as her breathing got faster.

She started twitching a bit and Hatori gently placed his hands on her arms keeping them still. Minutes later Linda stopped and her breathing returned to normal. "I can see now why she wasn't worried about Akito," Hatori muttered sadly. Kylie nodded knowing that no words of explanation needed to be said. She finished cleaning Linda's face and putting bandages over the cuts before sitting down on one of the beds. "You should be resting too, you know," Hatori reminded her.

"I'm not tired," Kylie answered immediately.

"You have been suffering physical and mental fatigue," Hatori said in a slightly hard voice. "And you have several injuries including a broken wrist."

"I'm fine," Kylie assured him.

"Do I need to call Shigure over here to force you to settle down and recuperate properly?"

Kylie's head drooped in defeat, "No, you don't have to call him."

"Good, now I'm going to run a few minor tests to make sure that Linda doesn't have any internal injuries," Hatori said picking up a syringe. "It won't take long and it'll be better to know and fix it now than to wait and have problems later."

Kylie went rigid when she saw the needle. He saw her reaction and it made him pause. "What's that for?" Kylie asked warily.

"It's just to keep her sedated in case she goes into hysterics," Hatori explained. He turned back to Linda and inserted the needle into her arm and then forced the liquid into her blood. Kylie flinched and turned away from the sight. "I didn't know you were afraid of needles….I'll remember that when you start getting check ups. Now please lie down."

Kylie wasn't about to disobey a doctor with a sedative in his hand so she lay down onto the bed next to her cousin. Despite her protests that she wasn't tired, Kylie was asleep after only a few minutes.

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When she awoke she found Shigure standing in the doorway having a low conversation with Hatori. The two of them seemed to be discussing something very important so Kylie didn't call out to him. Instead she looked over to her cousin's bed and found her still asleep, machines beeping steadily.

"Ah Kylie how are you feeling?" Shigure asked when he noticed she was awake.

"A lot better," Kylie admitted as she sat up, careful not to put any pressure on her right hand which she found had been put into a sling while she had been sleeping. "Hatori-san, I said no slings." She had blatantly refused to put one on earlier after having her wrist bandaged.

"If you sleep with your wrist going in any direction you'll only make it worse," Hatori explained. "Without a sling, at least while you sleep, you could damage your wrist even more."

"But still, it really bothers my neck," Kylie complained pulling at the sling.

"Then take it off…but make sure you wear one while sleeping. I don't want to hear that you need a cast," Hatori told her. Then he went over and checked on Linda. As far as he could see, she was healing nicely and should wake up within a day, if that. "You are free to go home Kylie if you wish. I will alert you when she wakes up," Hatori told her calmly.

"Yes, the others are all worried about you and it will calm their fears if they hear from the source that you are alright," Shigure agreed holding his hand out.

Kylie awkwardly took hold of his hand with her left one. She was not even close to being ambidextrous. She sighed. "I don't know what I'm going to do about my writing," she sighed. "My left hand scrawl is worse than a doctor's."

"I beg your pardon?" Hatori said with a slight hint of irritation.

"Ah, sorry, that's just the expression we use back in America," she said hurriedly. "I meant no offense. Please don't stick me."

"I'm not going to stick you," Hatori sighed. "Just go home already."

Shigure helped her up and led her from the room. "You promise to let us know when she wakes up?" Shigure asked turning back for a second.

"Of course," Hatori replied. He watched as the pair got into the waiting car and drove off into the distance.

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"Well I can't wait until they see how well you're doing," Shigure exclaimed.

"I've been wanting to see everyone too," Kylie declared.

"Your stuff is already moved back in," Shigure told her. "The offenders' memories have been erased so you won't be bothered by them anymore, and we can finally consummate our love."

Kylie went scarlet. "Don't say things like that so casually," she said looking away in embarrassment.

"Why shouldn't we?" Shigure asked jokingly. "After all, I won't change as long as you are in my arms. And if I recall correctly Linda told me you've taken human sexuality so there's really nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Just because I've learned about it doesn't mean I want to experience it," Kylie said shaking her head in disbelief that they were even having this conversation.

"So you don't want to…. ever?" Shigure asked curiously.

"Well, maybe not never," Kylie said slowly. "Just… now right now."

There was silence for a moment before Shigure smirked. "So there's hope."

"Shigure!" Kylie exclaimed.

He laughed loudly, "Don't worry I won't do anything like that until you're ready." He grinned widely at her exasperated expression and just chuckled to himself all the way home.

Upon their return they were met by Yuki, Kyo, Haru, Momiji, Kagura, Tohru, and to Yuki's dismay Ayame. "Welcome back Kylie. I'm very glad to see that you are doing just fine," Ayame exclaimed throwing his arms wide.

Momiji ran up as soon as he saw her and hugged her around the waist, "I missed you Kylie. I was so worried when I heard what happened."

Kylie stroked the blonde boy's hair affectionately as she hugged him back. "I missed you too," Kylie told him. "It's good to see everyone again."

"By the way," Haru spoke up. "There's someone else who's been wanting to meet you." He pulled a small girl out from behind him with short light brown hair and wide amber eyes. "Don't be afraid, Kisa," he told her gently nudging her towards Kylie.

She stepped forward uncertainly and looked up at Kylie. "Are you a friend of Onee-chan's?" She asked shyly.

Kylie stared at her for a moment before bending down and glomping her. "Kawaii!"

"She really does act like Tohru," Kyo and Yuki muttered together.

"Ah…why doesn't Kylie hug me like that?" Shigure cried chibi tears running down his cheeks.

"She's like Onee-chan," Kisa thought closing her eyes and smiling.

"Where's Kisa?" a young boy shouted breaking through the touching moment. Kylie looked up and saw a small boy about Kisa's age who almost looked like a mini Kyo….except his hair was a tan color.

Kylie's eyes widened. "So cute…" She was resisting the urge to compulsively hug him….

He ran up to her. "What do you think you're doing to Kisa?" he demanded.

…And failed. "You're so cute!" she said momentarily releasing Kisa to glomp him.

He pulled back in surprise but she pulled him into a hug and held him there. At first he became rather surprised that he didn't change then he turned angry and tried to push her off of him. "What are you doing let go of me," he commanded angrily.

"Don't worry, Hiro," Momiji reassured him with a smile. "You won't change. At least not for a while after you let go."

Kylie finally let go of Hiro and he backed away looking indignant. "First you take Kisa and then you set this crazy woman on me?"

"I'm sorry," Kylie apologize. "It's just you looked so cute. Like a mini-Kyo."

A vein started to twitch on Kyo's forehead at this announcement. "What did you say?" he asked clenching his feet. "I'm nothing like this spoiled brat."

"Obviously not, considering you got just as angry just as fast," Yuki mumbled.

"Shut up you stupid rat…nobody asked you." Just then there was a pop and Hiro turned into his animal form…..the ram.

"He's so cute and cuddly," Kylie squealed reaching for him but was held back by Shigure.

"Now now, remember what happened when you hugged Ritsu while he was an animal? It might not be best to repeat that incident…. Unless it's with me of course." He was given a hard whack by both Kyo and Yuki for that last comment.

"I'm really glad that you're okay," Tohru exclaimed happily. "How is Linda doing…I noticed she wasn't with you."

"Lin is still in recovery. But Hatori is taking really good care of her, so I'm not too worried," Kylie said with a smile.

"How long until you think she'll be back?" Kyo asked trying to sound casual about it.

"I'd give it a day or two," Kylie told them all.

"Well, when young Linda comes home we need to have a Welcome Home celebration for you both!" Ayame exclaimed.

"You really don't have to, Ayame-san," Kylie said with a small laugh.

"But of course I do, it's the least we can do after not attempting to get to the bottom of your troubles and prevent this terrible ordeal from happening," Ayame explained moving back and forth smoothly.

"Aaya is right, and besides I'm sure she'll enjoy having a party after this harrowing ordeal," Shigure added as he place a hand on Kylie's shoulder. "Won't you be happy to see your cousin smile after this?" he asked giving her a swift kiss.

Everyone had a unique reaction to this. Kyo grabbed Shigure by the front of his shirt. "What the hell do you think you're doing, you perv?"

"Oh didn't you know," Shigure said with a laugh. "We've only been dating for a bout a month now."

Kyo looked as if he swallowed a lemon. Yuki's mouth actually dropped open, in an elegant, princely sort of way of course. Momiji giggled like a school girl. Haru just stared at them blankly. Kisa looked on with a hint of confusion on her face while Hiro made a 'blech' noise.

"How sweet, I'm so happy for you," Tohru exclaimed happily in obvious surprise.

"Normally I would be wounded by you stealing my Shigure away from me," Ayame told Kylie patting her on the head. "But, since it's you, I wholeheartedly approve."

Kylie smiled. "Arigato, Ayame-san."

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CM: Yay they came out okay...they're alive! ^^ I noticed that a few of you were getting worried...but don't worry...all is well now.......or is it? Stay tuned. And Thanks for the Reviews! ^_^


	18. Visiting Hours are a Pain

CM: Well, finals are almost over. As celebration, here's the next chapter! WOOT! Enjoy ^_^

_**Visiting Hours are a Pain**_

"Hmm….where am I….why is my head pounding…..why can't I move?" Linda muttered as her eyes slowly fluttered open. She slowly glanced around at her surroundings, finding it hurt with every movement. After a few minutes she noticed that there was something in her nose and she had something poking out of her arm.

"Good to see you're finally awake," A low voice said and she looked over to see Hatori enter the room with a clipboard. He went over to her side and felt her forehead for any traces of fever, but there was none. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by the largest building in Japan," Linda replied forgetting for a moment to speak Japanese.

"I can still speak English you know," Hatori replied.

"Sorry, I kind of forgot," Linda mumbled trying to get a feel of her own tongue again. "Where am I?"

"You're in the infirmary," Hatori told her. "Do you remember anything that happened?

Linda thought for a moment which made her head hurt. "I remember getting into a fight with those guys and….Kylie is she alright?" Linda asked sitting up really fast but falling back as her head swam and her muscles screamed in protest.

"She's fine," Hatori assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder to calm her as well as to prevent her from getting up like that again. "She's staying with Shigure and the others and has already made a remarkable recovery and has been calling me every two hours asking if you were awake."

Linda sighed her relief, flinching as she felt more pain rush through her body. "She's doing all right? That's good…I was a little worried when I saw her wrist get broken," Linda said with a smile.

"Which brings us to my next question," Hatori said looking sternly at her. "Why didn't you inform me that you and your cousin were having troubles? I could have taken care of the matter without having to deal with all of this."

Linda turned her head away from him and closed her eyes feeling ashamed and guilty. "Um….I guess I thought I could deal with it myself like I did last time. It got carried away really fast though and I was too stubborn to go for help," she finally mumbled avoiding eye contact.

She laid there in silence for a moment, until she felt his fingers gently brush her hair out of her face. "I heard what you said to Akito, about how he doesn't need to feel like he has to bear his burdens alone. I would have hoped that you would have been the type of person to follow your own advice. There are people here that wish to help you as well."

"I know…..I was so sure I could do it myself though. I figured that with the practice I had with Kyo I'd be able to take anything they threw at me….I just didn't count on him bringing over some friends," Linda explained sadly.

"All I ask is that next time you'll let me know if something like this happens again," Hatori sighed, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. "It's getting quite tiresome having you hospitalized every time I turn around."

She grinned and snickered a little. "Sorry, I hadn't realized how much I've been doing it lately," Linda said her voice getting a little stronger. "I'll make sure I clobber them first next time."

Linda could have sworn she saw the corner of Hatori's mouth twitch but he told her, "You'll do no such thing. Now, do you feel like sitting up?" With his help, Linda managed to sit up while leaning against the bed frame. He ran a few tests asking her questions and jotting down notes on his clipboard. "You seem to be recovering rather well," Hatori stated as he wrapped up the examination. "Another day and you should be able to move around normally. Though we should make it two just to be safe."

"You don't trust me on my own do you?" Linda asked with a smirk.

"No, not particularly. Then again, you've never given me a reason to," Hatori replied marking over his clipboard.

"I guess I haven't, huh….sorry about that. I guess it would be better to take it easy when needed," Linda said with a small chuckle.

"One other thing," Hatori said setting his clipboard down and facing her. "Do you remember Thursday at all?"

Linda closed her eyes and tried to picture that day. She remembered all the things she broke because of Ryota and Eiji. She remembered Kylie nearly falling asleep on her shoulder. Then she remembered breaking the paper weight….and then… She opened her eyes and her face was beet red.

Hatori looked up and noticed that she had grown awfully quiet and her face was flushed. "I'll take that as a 'yes'," he said.

"Yeah, I remember what happened," Linda replied staring at her blankets.

"Do you regret it?" Hatori asked her quietly. Linda was quiet for several moments. "I know what I did was rather inappropriate, so I apologize if I caused you any discomfort."

"I-it's not that," Linda stated stopping him from continuing. "I….I've just never had any of this before. I don't really know what to say."

"Just tell me if you regretted it or not," Hatori replied softly.

"I….no I don't," Linda finally answered smiling. The heart monitor picking up slightly.

This answer seemed to relieve Hatori because his posture relaxed a little. "I'm glad," he whispered, brushing away the fringe of hair that was impeding his view. Linda could feel her cheeks heating up all over again as she felt herself being gently pulled towards him, though she could feel that her body was also moving towards him on its own. The heart monitor jumped up to a new height as they moved closer together.

The room grew very quiet for a few minutes until the phone rang cutting through the moment like a knife. "Just one moment," Hatori said getting up and grabbing the phone. "Sohma medical center. Who is this?" he said into the phone.

"Hello, Hatori," Shigure greeted cheerfully. "Kylie is taking a nap so I thought I ought to make the annual call in her stead. I didn't interrupt anything did I?"

"What do you want?" Hatori repeated irately. "This had better be good."

"Like I said I'm making a phone call on behalf of Kylie," Shigure answered happily. There was silence on the other end and then Shigure broke down. "Alright, you're no fun Hatori. I was just wondering how Linda was doing. Kylie said that she still hadn't woken up yet," Shigure confided.

"Yes, she woke up not long ago. I was going to contact Kylie once the examination was over and I could tell her the current state of her cousin," Hatori explained irately.

"You're sounding much colder than usual, Hatori," Shigure noted, a sly smile etching the edges of his voice. "You haven't been playing doctor with your patient, have you?"

"Shigure, say something like that again and I'll make sure that none of your books get published in Japan again," Hatori threatened before hanging up the phone. He shook his head and walked back into Linda's room.

"Who was that?" Linda asked noticing the angry look he had on his face.

"Shigure, he always seems to know when and how to bother people," Hatori sighed sitting on the edge of her bed.

She smiled at him and laughed a bit, "Well, it could be worse. It could have been Ayame."

Hatori chuckled. "I suppose you have a point there."

"So, I guess I'm stuck here for another day," Linda said with a grin. "Sure you won't get tired of my brazen comments?"

"I think I can handle them," he replied placing his hand on her chin.

"In that case I'll make sure to throw out as many as possible," Linda declared with a smirk.

Hatori's other arm wrapped itself around Linda's waist and gently pulled her against him. "See that you do. That way, I'll know for sure that you're alright."

She smiled and their eyes locked holding them in that moment for a long time. Then Linda yawned feeling rather exhausted so Hatori let her go and helped her lie back down. "Thanks for everything, Hatori," Linda whispered before her eyes closed and her breathing settled.

"No… thank you, Linda," Hatori whispered softly. "For being the warmth within my frozen winter."

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"Kylie, it's time to get up," Shigure whispered very close to Kylie's ear. "Or I could always just join you for a nap."

"We can't cross the river without the pickles," Kylie mumbled and rolled over curling up into a ball, still asleep. (1)

"Of course we can't," Shigure replied with a small chuckle. He leaned over her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I just wanted to tell you that Linda woke up not to long ago."

Kylie's eyes opened blearily and let out a small yawn before smiling up at him. "Really? That's great. Is she doing okay?"

"Yes, I'm sure she's doing a lot better….especially with Hatori there with her," Shigure said with a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Kylie asked curiously, starting to fully wake up.

"It's a secret," Shigure said before he began tracing his fingers from the base of her neck down her back and she reflexively arched her back, unfurling from her ball.

"No fair," Kylie whined half heartedly. "You know I'm ticklish."

"I know and that's why I'm doing this," Shigure replied. "I just figured that you would like to get up and visit Linda while you have the chance before the others get the news and flock over there."

Kylie smiled gratefully at him and sat up stretching. "I'd like that very much."

"I figured you might," Shigure said stroking her hair before helping her remove her cursed sling.

"Alright, just give me a second to get dressed," Kylie told him.

"By all means I'm not stopping you," Shigure said from the door as Kylie turned toward her dresser.

He received a pillow square in the face. "Out," Kylie said in a commanding voice. "You're not allowed to see."

"Ah, why not?" Shigure asked. "You've seen me already."

Kylie stared at him. "Geez, this is like one of those dating games where you have your pick of responses," Kylie thought in her head. "Hm… what to say…"

Option 1: "It's not like there was much to see," she responded.

Option 2: "It's not like I asked to," she responded.

Option 3: "My body is a temple, and we're not open for worshipping services. Now out," she responded.

She decided to go with option three.

"Alright, but that means I've still got a chance right?" Shigure replied, receiving another pillow to the face before leaving.

Kylie shook her head but couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she got dressed to go visit Linda.

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While Shigure went to discuss something with Hatori, Kylie silently entered the room that Linda was staying in to see her cousin on her bed snoozing. She smiled, walking over to her and sitting down in the chair beside the bed. "We really know how to attract trouble, don't we, Lin?"

"Hmmm….what did you say?" Linda asked groggily. She opened her eyes and glanced over at her cousin. "Oh Kylie…it's you. Feeling all right?"

Kylie laughed. "I should be asking you that question. Everyone's been worried."

"How's your wrist?" Linda asked her.

"It's fine," Kylie said showing her the bandaged appendage. "Hatori told me it should be usable in a few weeks. How about you? How's your head feeling?"

"It's still pounding but at least I'm awake," Linda told her smiling.

Kylie smiled before giving her cousin a hug. "Think you'll be able to come home soon?"

"If Hatori will ever let me out of bed, then yes," Linda said with a smirk.

"About that… I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

Kylie hesitated, pondering how to put it into words. "Do you and Hatori… are you two… uh… going steady?"

"What makes you say that?" Linda asked sitting up….with some effort.

"Well, Shigure mentioned something about it and I was just wondering…"

"There's nothing," Linda said a little too quickly.

Kylie smiled. "You're blushing."

"I am not," Linda declared.

"Yes you are," Kylie corrected with a laugh.

"I am not blushing….and there's nothing going on between me and Hatori."

Just then Hatori walked in followed by Shigure and gave Linda a kiss on the forehead. "So how are things feeling now that you've had your nap?"

Kylie and Shigure both giggle behind their hands. "You see, Kylie?" Shigure snickered. "There's nothing between them at all."

"I know, and to think I was so convinced," she giggled.

Linda rolled her eyes as her face burned from embarrassment. "I'm doing fine….though my head still hurts," she muttered without looking at anybody and ignoring Shigure and Kylie's comments. "Better than a couple hours ago at least," she added grinning sheepishly.

"Wasn't that about the time I called, Hatori?" Shigure asked slyly.

Hatori ignored that comment and started poking around to see if anything hurt.

"Ah, playing doctor again I see. How far will you go while I'm here I wonder," Shigure said chuckling.

Linda's face continued to grow redder by the second with every prod as well as comment.

"Shigure, if you can't behave yourself you can wait outside," Hatori told him as he continued his examination.

"I'm sorry, it just looks like so much fun," Shigure said cheerfully. "I wouldn't mind playing doctor, would you, Kylie?"

"Doctors scare me," Kylie admitted.

"No worries, I wouldn't be one of the frightening doctors like Hatori," Shigure persuaded.

"No, you'd probably be scarier than most if not all doctors," Linda retorted, embarrassed.

Kylie couldn't help but giggle at that comment. Seeing her cousin's obvious awkwardness, she decided to show mercy on her. Kylie took hold of Shigure by the arm and began tugging him out of the room. "Come on, let's wait outside."

This only proved to make Linda more embarrassed but she was happy all the same that Shigure was leaving the room. As soon as they exited Linda breathed a sigh of relief and sat back against her bed to relax. "Why did he have to come along?" she asked rubbing her head.

"I would have thought that would be obvious," Hatori commented, shining a light in one eye and then the other making sure that sure pupils dilated correctly. "Believe it or not, Shigure was worried about the both of you. After Ayame called and alerted us both, I had never seen him so concerned."

"Kylie I can understand because they're dating but he was worried about me too?" Linda asked somewhat surprised.

"Of course, he has grown rather attached to both of you since coming to live with him," Hatori explained taking a look at the inside of her throat. "So are you really that embarrassed to be with me?"

"No, it's not that….it's just all this time Kylie was the one getting boyfriends and what not and now that I…have one it's kind of hard to admit it to her."

"Understandable," Hatori agreed, feeling along her head. "I'm sorry if I made things worse."

"No it's not your fault," Linda told him slowly as she closed her eyes feeling great about the massage he was giving her head.

"Does that help?" he asked seeing her reaction.

"Yeah," Linda breathed happily.

Hatori smiled knowingly and added the other handed, sifting his fingers through her hair and gently rubbing her head. Linda almost let out a moan of satisfaction. She wasn't sure why, but the attention his fingers were giving to her scalp felt so incredible. She was about to pass out from the massage when Hatori's fingers touched her wound and she flinched with pain.

"Sorry, I guess that's still a little tender," Hatori apologized.

"Yeah it is, but I don't want you to stop," Linda said shyly.

Hatori gave a soft chuckle and happily obliged.

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CM: Aw! They finally got together. Hooray! Next time, someone unexpected comes to visit. Stay tuned!

(1) This line is from Lilo and Stitch the TV series.


	19. Surprises Around the Corner

_**SURPRISES AROUND THE CORNER**_

Outside… "It's so cute!" Kylie squealed under her breath as she moved away from her eavesdropping spot from the door. "I'm so happy that Linda finally found someone."

"Yes it is rather intriguing," Shigure agreed. "It makes me so happy that Hatori was finally able to get over his breakup with Kana."

"So he was with someone before?" Kylie asked curiously.

Shigure nodded. "Yes, but unfortunately, when they asked Akito permission to be married, Akito blatantly refused it. Hatori got hurt and Kana blamed herself. Finally, Hatori was left with no choice but to erase her memory." Kylie's eyes widened and she swallowed, her mouth having suddenly gone very dry. "I think that might be the reason he's so protective over Linda. He's probably afraid of losing her like he lost Kana," Shigure thought quickly.

"But… what if Akito..." Kylie began but was unable to finish her fear.

"He didn't have much affect over the two of you the last time you saw him…I doubt he'll have much affect if you see him again," Shigure said pulling her into a hug.

Kylie wrapped her arms around Shigure and rested her head against his chest, taking in his scent. "I'm worried," she confided.

"And why is that?" Shigure asked her, rubbing a hand up and down her back.

"Things just seem to be going a little too well," Kylie said. "Especially for us."

"The two of you have been able to negate our curse so maybe we are negating your curse as well," Shigure speculated. "After all, you two have been receiving a lot of good luck since coming to live with us, and the moment you left you had a string of bad luck."

"I guess I never thought of it like that," Kylie said mulling it over. "A shadow meeting another shadow."

"Just like in your story," Shigure smiled rubbing her head. "I'm sure that everything is going to be just fine Kylie. There's no need to worry."

"Excuse me," a tempered voice spoke interrupting their moment. Kylie pulled apart from Shigure to see a man possibly only a little younger than Shigure with red hair and dark eyes. "Is Hatori available?"

"Kureno…this certainly is a surprise. I didn't think I'd ever see you out of Akito's sight," Shigure exclaimed, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Hatori's in there right now attending to Linda's wounds."

"I see," Kureno said, except even though he was speaking to Shigure, he was staring at Kylie. Finally he walked past them to the infirmary without another word.

"Who was that?" Kylie asked.

"That would be Kureno Sohma. He's the rooster in the zodiac," Shigure explained. "He's very important to Akito and is almost never seen by anyone else….unless he decides to be seen."

"Wow," Kylie said in wonderment.

"I wouldn't recommend trying to get a gander at his animal," Shigure said smiling. "Akito is particularly fond of Kureno, almost possessive, I guess you could say."

Kylie's face grew hot, only because she HAD been contemplating it.

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"What brings you here Kureno?" Hatori asked looking up from Linda. Linda glanced up at the man and was surprised to see that he seemed rather friendly.

"Akito is feeling unwell," Kureno told him, sparing Linda a glance before looking back at the older man. "He'd like to see you."

"I understand," Hatori sighed. He stood up and placed a hand on Linda's head. "I'll go take care of this and then I'll be back Linda," he added giving her a soft smile.

Linda returned the smile in kind and she watched him leave. Kureno stared at her for a few moments before following Hatori out. A few moments later, Kylie poked her head in. "Did you see him?"

"Yeah….who was that?" Linda asked confused.

"That was Kureno….the rooster of the zodiac," Shigure answered coming in behind her.

"He's a member too?" Linda exclaimed. "Wow….why was he staring at me?"

"Believe it or not, you two are very infamous around here," Shigure said with a wayward smile.

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing," Kylie murmured.

"Lately I've been confused on whether we're having good luck or bad," Linda muttered. "Things were always so cut and dry but now it's almost impossible to decipher….until we see the result at least."

"Well, Que sera sera," Shigure quoted. "What will happen, will happen, and what won't, won't."

"It amazes me sometimes just how blithe you can be," Linda said shaking her head. "You two really are the perfect couple."

"Hey now," Kylie said raising a finger. "There's nothing wrong with taking things in stride."

"I never said there was…I just had to deal with you saying stuff like that all the time and now I'm hearing it from him," Linda exclaimed.

"You may want to calm down. If Hatori gets back and sees that you've been stressed then he'll be really angry with me," Shigure said glancing around quickly.

Linda rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Alright, I'll calm down. I was just throwing out a point there. Besides, you're the ones putting me into a state of stress."

"Well, I guess we should leave you to recuperating then," Kylie said approaching her cousin and giving her a hug. "But there's one thing I need." And she pulled out some measuring tape and in three swift movements managed to get Linda's bust, waist and hip sizes.

"What the heck--?"

"It's part of my job," Kylie said with a shrug.

Linda was about to ask what she meant but Kylie was waving goodbye and out the door before she could get a single word out. "I hope that wasn't for Ayame's interest," Linda muttered to herself. Then yawning widely she lay back down and went to sleep.

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"I'm glad you were finally able to get over Kana," Kureno told Hatori on their way to Akito's.

"Why say that?" Hatori queried without looking at him.

"You just seem much more… how to put it?" He thought for a moment. "You don't seem as disconsolate as you used to be. I think Akito has noticed it too."

"I see," Hatori said shortly.

"He's been staring out his window talking to himself more than usual and refused to even see me for awhile. I know it has to do with those two but I'm not sure how they managed to get to Akito so….completely," Kureno continued. "I should warn you….Akito is realizing yours and Shigure's feelings for them."

Hatori closed his eyes. Would things repeat themselves? Would he and Linda walk down the exact same path that he had walked with Kana? His eyes opened. No. He would not let that happen. Not to her.

They arrived at Akito's room in silence and Hatori went in alone. "How are you feeling Akito?" he asked glancing over at Akito as he stared out the window deep in thought.

"I'm feeling sick Hatori, I haven't seen you in awhile and I know you've been with that witch these last few days. Why have you abandoned me?" Akito asked turning to look at him.

"Forgive me," Hatori said bowing his head. "The two ran into some trouble and were heavily injured. But I can assure you that you have not been abandoned in the slightest."

"I see….so there health comes before my own does it?" Akito asked dangerously.

"No, it's just that you have been rather healthy lately and haven't needed my attention for some time so I decided that they needed my help. The moment I heard you were feeling under the weather, I came to check on you," Hatori explained trying to keep Akito from getting angry.

Akito stared at one of his hands, as if it was contaminated with some sort of disease. "I don't like it," he whispered. "I don't trust them."

"I understand why you feel this way….they do seem to affect us in strange ways," Hatori admitted sitting down next to him. "Now let's see what's ailing you."

He placed a stethoscope against Akito's chest beneath his robes and listened to his heartbeat. It seemed fairly sporadic. Probably stress induced.

Next Hatori looked at both of his eyes with a flashlight and then inspected the inside of his throat. "You got yourself another cold," Hatori declared once his examination was finished. "You need to drink a lot of water and get plenty of rest."

"How can I possibly rest knowing those two are there?" Akito asked in a harsh whisper. "It's not fair. They're cheaters. It's not fair at all!"

"Calm down Akito….you're only going to make it worse," Hatori told him ignoring what he was saying.

"I can't calm down with those harlots running amok with you!!" Akito shouted angrily glaring at him.

"Come to bed, Akito," Hatori said gently as he helped the head up from the floor and began leading him to his bed. "I don't want your condition to worsen. Especially not in this weather." Akito kept muttering whispers of paranoia but was surprisingly compliant.

Hatori helped him get into bed and made sure that Akito took some cold medicine and had a glass of water. "That should do for now. I'll be back in a few hours and have you take some more. Until then you need to stay in bed and rest," Hatori commanded before standing up.

Akito said nothing but continued to sulk. Hatori stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. That had gone much better than he had anticipated. Almost too well.

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"I hope Hatori is alright," Shigure said as he and Kylie left the Sohma hospital. "I really didn't like that look on Kureno's face….I just didn't want to say anything in front of Linda."

Kylie couldn't help but have the same concern. "If anything happens, I'm sure they would let us know right away."

"Yes….but seeing how much Linda cares about not hurting Hatori…I'm a little worried how she'd take it," Shigure explained his face rather serious.

"The way anyone would react if someone they loved got hurt on their behalf, terribly. At best, she would be angry sad and confused. At worst… she might withdraw into her shell again." Kylie was very appreciative of Shigure's concern for her cousin's well being. She herself was worried for both Hatori and Linda. But at the same time, she was happy for them both after seeing the affection the two had showed for one another.

"If she did….it would take a lot for her come back out wouldn't it," Shigure guessed.

"Yes, I'm not sure if I'd be able to do anything about it. She's never had a significant other before," Kylie answered sadly.

"If she did just become angry, sad and confused do you suppose she'd take it out on Akito?" Shigure asked worry coating every word.

Kylie shook her head. "No, Linda's not like that. She doesn't believe in taking her frustrations out on other people. If anything… she'd leave."

"Leave where?" Shigure asked curiously.

Kylie shrugged. "Anywhere. Wherever she can go so that she could cool off and think things over without hurting other people."

"Do you suppose she'd go back to America?" Shigure asked surprised.

"No, she wouldn't go back without me. If anything she'd probably hide somewhere in the mountains or the forest. She always did find peace sitting in nature," Kylie replied happily.

"And what about you?" Shigure asked her.

Kylie looked at him curiously. "Me?"

"If something bad were to happen, would you run away?" She was amazed at how serious he sounded.

"Somehow I don't think you would give me the chance," Kylie said with a half-hearted smile.

"You're right I wouldn't give you the chance, but a time might come when I won't be able to," Shigure told her as the car came to a stop in front of his home. He turned toward her and placed his right hand gently on her cheek, "I don't want to ever lose you. Please stay….no matter what happens."

Kylie wanted to tell him that she couldn't make any promises, but looking into his obsidian eyes, she found that she couldn't deny such a seemingly simple request. "Okay," she agreed, making a note in the back of her mind to keep this promise, even if it destroyed her.

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Hatori took a deep breath before pushing the door to Linda's room open hoping he was wrong. "Welcome back. How did it go?" Linda asked cheerfully from her bed looking as she had when he left.

"Surprisingly well. He did scold me for not visiting him as often and tried to convince me that you were not to be trusted," Hatori replied as a relieved smile spread across his face.

"Sorry about that," Linda said feeling a twinge of guilt. "I guess me getting all banged up and you having to take care of me didn't help matters."

"What's done is done," Hatori told her firmly. "There is no need for further apology."

"Okay….you're the doctor," Linda replied with a smirk. "Can I still ask a question?"

Hatori nodded his consent and sat next to her bed. "Why did you look so worried when you came in?"

"The meeting with Akito went a lot better than it should have and I was worried that I had taken some of your luck when I left," he explained.

"Really? Well if you did I never noticed," Linda replied with a small laugh.

Hatori smiled. "I'm glad to see that you're feeling better. Perhaps I will let you go tomorrow, depending. I'm sure everyone is eager to see you again. However, I only allowed Kylie to come visit you since I didn't want you exposed to too much excitement when you woke up."

"Thanks….I don't think I could have handled both Shigure and Ayame at the same time," Linda told him with a tinge of fear in her voice.

Hatori chuckled and put a hand on her head. "You may have to tomorrow. Can you handle that?" he asked softly.

"I think I can….as long as you're there with me," Linda told him her head sinking into her shoulders.

The warmth in his smile almost made the winter sunlight burning through the windows cold in comparison and that warmth seemed to penetrate Linda's very being. She was unsure what to make of this feeling. Maybe she would need to have a talk with Kylie and learn more about it. She might know.

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CM: Awww, kawaii! Next up, after being cooped up in the hospital, Linda gets to see everyone again. What surprises will there be next? Stay tuned! ;)


	20. Confused Feelings

CM: Yay! Another chappie! Also I'd like to give a quick thanks to Cunnawabum for pointing out a typo in the previous chapter. :P Thanks for reviewing everyone. Your reviews are what keeps me going and the story thriving.

_**Confused Feelings  
**_

The next day Hatori made sure that Linda was in good shape before letting her stand and helped her out the door. "Kylie told the others that you're coming home today so you may want to prepare yourself," Hatori warned as Linda slowly got into his car.

"Thanks for the warning. I'm going to take as many breaths as possible right now because I just know they're going to suffocate me," Linda said breathing deeply.

Hatori chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll try to keep them from sending you back into the hospital."

"Thanks, I'll have to stay out of it or Kyo will be really angry," Linda laughed.

Ten minutes later they pulled up to Shigure's house and Linda was surprised to see that nobody was out there. She got out of the car with a little help from Hatori and they headed up to the house.

Upon entering Linda found that none of the lights were on and she didn't hear any sound signaling someone's presence. Just as she was wondering what was going on the lights turned on all at once and several people burst out shouting, "Welcome back Linda !!!"

Linda jumped five feet into the air and almost fell over but Hatori steadied her with a small chuckle. "Take it easy remember."

Everyone was there, including a girl with long dark hair and a hard expression who was standing back with Haru. Momiji glomped Linda while Kyo stepped forward with a smirk. "About time you got back. Sitting in a hospital for a few days better not have softened you up."

Linda laughed. "Hah, you wish."

"Linda!" Kylie said joining Momiji in glomping her cousin. Standing behind Kylie was a cute girl that Linda also didn't recognize.

"It's nice to meet you, friend of Onee-chan," she said smiling.

Linda bent down carefully and ruffled the little girl's hair. "It's nice to meet you too...um," she began not knowing her name.

"This is Kisa…isn't she just adorable?" Kylie asked pulling the girl into a hug.

"Yeah, you really are adorable…Kisa," Linda said smiling bigger.

"It's nice to see you up and about again," Yuki commented from the side.

"It's great to be back. Say how are those vegetables of yours?" Linda asked curiously.

"They are doing great," Yuki answered.

"I am very joyful to see you here," Ayame gushed rushing up to her.

"Yes, it's very nice to see that you and Hatori are getting along as well as yesterday," Shigure added gushing out his emotions as much as Ayame was.

"Come come," Ayame said taking Linda by the hand and pulling her along, not even giving her the chance to resist.

"Where the heck are you taking me?" Linda asked him trying to pull away but to no avail.

"We need to slip you into something more appropriate. I asked Mimi to make a quick appearance and she's been waiting for you," Ayame explained before taking her into the back room.

Hatori had tried to stop Ayame from taking her but Shigure halted him. "Just what are you two planning?" Hatori asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"You'll see, trust me you'll love it," Shigure said keeping him in the room.

The others all watched the spectacle in confusion and glanced from Shigure to Kylie looking for an explanation. Then they heard some unintelligible shouting from the back room for about a minute before everything went quiet again. "Looks like it worked," Shigure said happily.

Moments later Ayame came out with a very large smile on his face, "Now I'd like to present to you the beautiful Linda." He moved to one side but nothing was behind him. Then there was a scuffling noise before the door opened and someone stumbled through having been shoved by Mimi. When she stood up to get mad at her the girl's face turned red seeing the others staring at her.

Linda had her hair tied up in pigtails and she was wearing a very elegant, light pink nurse's outfit, cap and all. The skirt went down to about mid-thigh and the collar was unbuttoned to the extent of showing the bright pink undershirt, and her glasses seemed to complete the entire ensemble.

Hatori stared at her, at a loss for words, and to everyone's amazement, he blushed. Yes, Hatori actually blushed, albeit, it was very faint. Linda didn't think a hot frying pan could compare to how hot her face was under that gaze. After a few moments Hatori coughed and looked away. "You… look nice."

Linda gave him a shy grin, "Thanks." He glanced over and seeing her smile brought a little more color to his cheeks.

"I apologize for my brother's behavior," Yuki muttered shaking his head.

"Wow you look so pretty in that," Tohru said admiring the outfit.

"Yes it looks rather stunning doesn't it Hatori? Just think now you really can play doctor….after all you two are now a pair," Shigure said putting his arm around Hatori's shoulders.

"Shigure, you are walking on extremely thin ice," Hatori said acidly. And Shigure subconsciously shivered away from the aura of murderous intent coming off of Hatori.

"So…is she going to where that the whole time?" Haru asked blandly.

"No way. I'm going back and changing," Linda declared turning around and heading back for the changing room.

She was stopped however by Ayame grabbing onto her hand and spinning her around. "You must grace us with your lovely appearance and show off just how much you've recovered," he said gesturing around flamboyantly.

Linda looked at him like he was nuts and tried to escape but Momiji hugged her again and stared up at her, "You really should keep it on…it looks really pretty on you."

"Yes, but you see, I'm rather uncomfortable," Linda explained to him, trying not to cave to his pleading face.

"Aw, come on Linda," Kylie said with a smile. "It's a special occasion."

"I don't see you wearing an erotic outfit," Linda pointed out.

"You're right," Kylie said smiling undauntedly. "It's so unfair how you have to wear one today when I only have to wear one everyday with hundreds of people staring at me as they pass by."

Linda stared at her for several minutes unable to find words to say. Then finally, "You've been spending way to much time with those two." She heaved a sigh and glared at Kylie for a few more seconds. "Find I'll keep it on, but I owe you when it's done," Linda told her in an undertone.

"How are you going to fight in that?" Kyo asked angrily.

"She is not going to be fighting anytime soon Kyo. She needs to take it easy for awhile and sparring will not be helping," Hatori told him dangerously.

Kyo shuddered at the coldness in his voice and backed off real quick. Linda was lead to the table by Momiji and Kylie and they got some games going. Pretty soon Linda forgot what she was wearing and started acting more natural. Tohru brought out different foods for them to eat and Linda actually made Rin snicker by shooting a comment at Kyo and getting him riled up. Every once in awhile she'd glance over and her eyes would meet with Hatori's reminding her of what she was wearing and she'd blush all over again still unsure of the feelings that would spread through her body.

The party went on for quite awhile until Linda announced that she was going to bed. "But it's still light out," Momiji whined, not wanting to see Linda leave.

"I know, but as fun as this has been, I really just want to get some sleep." 'And get out of this cursed outfit,' she thought to herself.

"No worries everyone," Kylie told them all. "You'll be able to see Lin again, so let her get some sleep for now. After all, she only just got out of the hospital."

"Yes rest should do her some good," Hatori added standing up. "I suggest that you all head home now before it gets dark."

Linda was grateful for Hatori's and Kylie's assistance and quickly left the room leaning against the wall as soon as she shut the door. "Whew, I can breath," she thought taking several deep breaths.

She immediately got changed out of the nurse outfit tossing it unceremoniously in the corner of the room before getting dressed into more comfortable clothes. A few minutes after she was finished changing, there was a knock on the door before Kylie poked her head in. "Can I come in?"

"No you are forbidden," Linda replied lying down.

"This is my room too remember," Kylie told her opening the door all the way.

"Fine come in….you may want to be careful though. I know where you sleep," Linda said her eyes closed.

"You know, Ayame-san would be heart broken if he saw what you did to his dress," Kylie told her going over to the corner of the room and picking the dress up.

"I just wanted out of that thing," Linda replied not opening her eyes. "You know I'm going to get you back for making me where that thing."

"What could you possibly do that our curse hasn't done that could scare me?" Kylie asked hanging the dress up.

"I don't know…..something to do with Shigure maybe?" Linda said opening one eye to see her reaction. "Maybe I could somehow get you into the same situation as you did with Ritsu."

Kylie didn't look at her cousin but her cheeks almost immediately reddened at the thought. "Yeah, good luck with that," she said, shutting the closet door. She'd have to get him in animal form first, and then Kylie would have to hug him once he was a dog. How could she pull that one off?

"Hey Kylie," Linda called sitting upright. "You've had more than one special person before, right."

"Well… I can't really compare any of my previous experiences with Shigure," Kylie told her, curious as to why Linda's tone suddenly changed. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, lately I've had these weird feelings every time I look at Hatori. I just don't understand it," Linda admitted staring at the floor.

"Well, what does it feel like?" Kylie asked, now thoroughly interested.

"Well," Linda contemplated. "When he smiles at me, it feels so warm. And my stomach feels really weird, like it gets twisted up, or something like that."

Kylie's mouth lengthened into a smile. "It's called 'love', Linda." ^_^

"I know what love is Kylie. I mean I love you and I loved mom and Uncle Leo," Linda said rolling her eyes. "This didn't feel anything like that."

Kylie sighed and wondered how she was to explain this. "Well… okay, let's put it this way. When two people are really attracted to each other, well, they become connected I guess you could say. They become a part of you and vice versa. Does that make any sense?"

"I think so…" Linda said but she sounded unsure.

"I think the best thing for you at this point would be to just trust your instincts. They will guide you."

"Sure, I'll do that," Linda agreed slowly. She sat in her bed for a long time thinking about their discussion and trying to figure out how she was feeling toward Hatori. She fell asleep after awhile and had several dreams about him. In one he rejected her and she felt her heart shatter while in the others either he got hurt or she did and right after he told her how he felt she dreamed that she died. By the time morning came she was even more confused than when she started and didn't know what to do about it.

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CM: Next chapter, love is in the air.... and it smells like.... chocolate? Stay tuned! ^_^


	21. A Special Valentines

CM: I'm sure most of you saw this coming. Valentine's day! Hooray! Enjoy. ^_^

**_A SPECIAL VALENTINES_**

Soon Valentine's Day was nigh and one morning Kyo walked into the kitchen only to be shunned right back out. "What's the deal?" He demanded.

"It's a surprise," Kylie told him.

"This area is from here on prohibited until further notice," Linda said.

"Why's that?" Kyo shouted.

"Kylie and I are commandeering the kitchen for today and I will make you pay if you so much as attempt to enter before we're done," Linda explained and then threatened. "Now have a nice day." With that she retreated back into the kitchen.

"What about breakfast?" Kyo muttered not wanting to try his luck.

Kylie handed him a bento box before retreating back in and shutting the door. Kyo stood there dumbfounded. "Well, now that that's done. Let's get back to work," she told Linda. "We have to get these ready for tomorrow."

"Exactly," Linda said pulling back her sleeves and starting on the first batch. They spent all day in the kitchen having only a few interruptions from Shigure and Kyo. By the time they were finished they had a large pile of baked goods and had taken a few steps back to admire their work. "It took almost all day but we finished it," Linda exclaimed wiping her arm across her forehead.

"This will be terrific," Kylie exclaimed happily. "I really hope everyone likes them."

"Well, I doubt they'll dislike them at least," Linda told her grinning.

After working in the kitchen all day, the entire room was engulfed in a mixture of sweet aroma. Not to mention the girls were almost all sweetened out considering they had taste tested all their creations. "Well, I guess all we have left is to package them," Kylie said with a smile.

"Yep, I'll go get the packaging stuff," Linda volunteered before running out of the room being careful to shut the door. A few minutes later she was back with the stuff and they started putting the sweets in their respective package. "Alright, now we'll just put these away for tomorrow," Linda said yawning widely.

"Tired already?" Kylie asked.

"Yeah well I really didn't get much sleep last night," Linda replied with a shrug.

"Well, get some rest, tomorrow we still have school and then work," Kylie reminded her.

"Yeah, I know," Linda said with another yawn.

"You head on up to bed, I'll clean up in here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, no worries," Kylie assured her. Linda shrugged before leaving for bed. Once she was gone, Kylie went about cleaning the dishes and the counter tops and putting things back where they belonged.

"Are you finished yet?" Shigure asked walking through the door. "I noticed Linda leaving and thought I'd check in." He glanced around at all the dirty dishes and tried to figure out what they could have been working on all day.

"Yep, we're all done," Kylie told him with a smile as she scrubbed the dishes. "Want to help me dry?"

Shigure smiled and accepted the job, taking a dry towel and drying each dish she cleaned before stacking them neatly in a pile. "So, do I get to know what it is you two were doing taking my kitchen hostage?"

Kylie grinned impishly, continuing her dish washing. "Eventually."

"Can I convince you to tell me now?" he asked putting his arm around her shoulders.

"But that would spoil the surprise," Kylie replied teasingly. She loved it when just every once in a while she could hold something over him and tease him with it, notwithstanding the fact that sometimes it would backfire on her.

"That's too bad," Shigure said stroking her hair. That's when he noticed something brown sticking to the edge of her mouth. "You've got a little something right there," he told her pointing at one side of his face. Kylie immediately reached up and wiped the opposite side before asking if she got it. "Yep but oh you've got some on the other side as well," he added pulling her close. "Here let me get it for you."

He leaned in and Kylie could do nothing but stand their frozen as she felt something wet and warm graze over the corner of her mouth and skirting over a portion of her lips before withdrawing, leaving a tingling sensation. Shigure drew back with a knowing smile. "You taste awfully sweet, my sweet. Preparing for tomorrow are we?" he asked with a smile. "Who all did you cook for today?"

Kylie flushed, slightly frustrated that she had inadvertently given it away. Well, there was no reason not to tell him now. "Everyone, essentially. We even made something for Akito. We weren't sure what he would like so we made him an assortment."

"I'm sure he'll enjoy that very much," Shigure told her trying to picture Akito with a package of sweets. "Did you do anything special with your treats like you did with the last presents?"

"Now THAT," Kylie told him, "is something you'll just have to wait and see." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and bid him goodnight before skipping off to bed, leaving him with his unsatisfied curiosity.

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The next day was rather stressful for the members of the zodiac and Kyo seriously considered skipping school in order to avoid Kagura, but Shigure wouldn't have it. After school Linda and Kylie met briefly to report on school and set up what they would do when they got home before heading off for work.

When Kylie gave Ayame his valentine gift of white chocolates shaped like snake heads he practically twirled her around the room for five minutes straight in jubilation. Mimi also appreciated her chocolates but merely said thank you much to Kylie's relief. "Oh, by the way Ayame-san, I need a special outfit," Kylie requested.

"Anything my dear, name it and it's yours," Ayame told her extravagantly.

Kylie smiled. "Well…"

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When Linda shyly gave Hatori his present, he accepted it with a small smile and a word of thanks before opening it. He certainly didn't expect what he saw. It was a chocolate cake with all the zodiac animals decorating the top and the sea horse standing in the center towering over all of them. Hatori covered his mouth with a hand and bent his face down, and Linda could have sworn she had heard him laughing silently.

"What, you are kind of the man in charge," Linda defended herself.

"No, it's wonderful, thank you," Hatori said getting a hold of himself. Before Linda left, she gave Hatori all of the zodiac people's gifts for him to give to them, including Akito's. After promising that he would give them to their respectable owners, he bid her farewell by giving her a light kiss and wishing her a Happy Valentine's day.

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Linda arrived home first that day and was in very good spirits, so she grabbed the remaining gifts and got them ready to present. Pretty soon Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo got home and upon their arrival Linda gave them their gifts; all different sweets that projected their respective animals….or personality. When Shigure asked for his Linda shook her head and told him that he had to wait until Kylie got back.

So he resigned himself to working in his study in order to pass the time. He was in the middle of writing when he heard a soft knock on the door. He recognized that knock. "Coming," he called immediately ceasing his writing. He got up, went to the door, and opened it.

His jaw dropped as he saw Kylie standing there wearing a high school uniform and holding a gift in her hands. "You really do love me," he exclaimed joyfully.

"Only slightly," Kylie said, unable to keep herself from grinning at his reaction as she handed him the box. "Happy Valentines Day." Shigure took the package from her and opened it. He stared, for inside the box were life sized chocolate doggy bones.

"I love it," he exclaimed pulling one out and posing with it. "Which way do you think is my good side?" He turned one way with the bone in his mouth then the other way and then he lay down on the floor and looked up at her with pleading eyes.

Kylie laughed at his ridiculous yet adorable antics. "Good puppy," she giggled, crouching down and playfully patting his head. Then she began stroking his stomach speaking the way she would to a cute animal. "Who's been a good boy? Have you been a good boy?"

Shigure started kicking his leg playfully like a dog as she rubbed his belly and panted heavily. "Oh yes, I've been a very good boy," he said putting his bone down and then grabbing her arm and pulling her off her feet.

She gave a squeal as the two of them rolled around on the floor for a bit, each fighting the other for dominance. Shigure of course ended up winning with Kylie pinned beneath him panting for breath. "No fair, you have more muscle than I do," Kylie said pouting.

"Is that really my fault?" he asked smirking. He then proceeded to blow into her stomach making different noises and causing her to giggle and fight back.

After several minutes of an agonizing tickle torture Kylie lay limply in Shigure's arms feeling like she was on some sort of high, still giggling every now and then. "This is one crazy relationship," Kylie laughed, shaking her head. "But it's easily the best I've ever had."

"I'm glad I can make it fun," Shigure said brushing some loose hair out of her face. "As long as I'm with you it's always fun," he whispered giving her a kiss as he spoke.

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CM: Ahhh... so much fluff. And there's still more to come. Stay tuned. ^_^


	22. Vengence is Anything but White

CM: Before I start the chapter I would like to address a question asked by one of my reviewers. No, my name isn't Kylie. :P Thank you all for reviewing and I hope you continue to do so. Your reviews nourish my writing soul. Anyways, enjoy! ^_^

_**VENGENCE IS ANYTHING BUT WHITE**_

"White Day?" Linda asked in confusion.

It was a month later after Valentine's Day. Linda and Hatori had been growing ever closer at work while Shigure and Kylie had also been improving their relationship. Hatori even managed to stop by for dinner every now and then when he was invited by Linda. Now they were on the 13th of March and Momiji and Haru had decided to pay everyone at Shigure's house a visit. Hatori was there as well so Linda didn't mind the extra people and Kylie was always happy to see the pair.

"Yeah, it's kind of like the male's Valentines Day," Momiji explained. "You see, when girls give guys stuff on Valentines Day, the guys show their appreciation by giving them something in return on White Day."

"That's cool…..I don't know, Kylie, after this I might not want to return to just having Valentines Day," Linda laughed.

"I know what you mean," Kylie agreed.

"So when is this White Day?" Linda asked excitedly.

"It's tomorrow," Momiji told them jumping up and down. "My White Day gift for you will be a trip to the hot springs."

"Wow, that sounds so relaxing," Kylie said with a sigh. "I've never been to an actual hot spring before."

"Never?" Haru asked in amazement.

"Come on, do you think we'd chance such a thing with our luck?" Linda asked with a grin.

"The Sohma's have their own personal hot spring resort up in the mountains, so you won't have to worry about anyone discovering your secret," Yuki explained to them.

"That's a relief," Linda breathed leaning up against the wall. "So when do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning," Haru answered.

"Yep, and I invited everyone to go," Momiji added.

"You didn't invite my brother did you?" Yuki asked worriedly.

"Yeah, but he couldn't come," Momiji replied sadly.

"Well I'm not going," Kyo declared getting up.

"Why not?" Tohru asked curiously.

"I don't feel like it," Kyo shouted before leaving the room.

"What's up with him?" Linda asked surprised by his outburst.

"Kyo doesn't like going places with Yuki," Shigure explained. "Every time the matter comes up he throws a tantrum."

"Linda, why don't you go talk to him?" Kylie suggested.

"Sure why not…not sure what good it'll do though. He's got such a hard head," Linda said scratching her head. She stood up all the same and followed Kyo out the door. "What's up Kyo, I figured you'd enjoy having a chance to get out of this house?" Linda asked watching him stare out the window.

"I don't want to go anywhere if that damn Yuki is going," Kyo said heatedly.

"Come on, Kyo. I know you and him don't get along that well, but we'd really enjoy your company," Linda told him sincerely. "And I'm sure Tohru would be really disappointed if you didn't go."

Kyo stopped for a moment and continued to stare out the window. "What does she need me for if she's got Yuki around?" he asked sadly.

"Oh please, you honestly think that Tohru would like one of you enough to not care if the other was there or not?" Linda asked raising an eyebrow. "If you really knew Tohru you wouldn't be throwing a fit about this…..especially not after all this time of being with her."

Kyo stood there for a moment not saying anything. Suddenly Tohru appeared. "Um... Kyo?"

"Fine, I'll go!" Kyo shouted.

Tohru looked startled at first, but then happiness washed over her face. "That's wonderful. I'm so happy!"

Linda shook her head but grinned all the same. "Alright then, Kyo, tomorrow we're going to see who can get their things packed and in the car the fastest," Linda challenged.

"You're on," Kyo shouted accepting the challenge.

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The next day the two girls found themselves at the hot springs resort. Hatori had managed to come along since Akito was in unusually good health that week. "Wow, it's so beautiful!" Kylie exclaimed.

"It is pretty cool," Linda agreed. "Too bad we can't come to a place like this more often."

"Well, you're here now so let's find our rooms and then get some relaxing baths in," Shigure exclaimed leading the way inside.

"I want to bathe with Tohru," Momiji exclaimed jumping up and down.

"I don't think so Momiji. Tohru's not the only one in that bath and I'm not going to have a guy in there with me," Linda said ruffling his hair.

Kylie, Linda, and Tohru all relaxed in the ladies hot spring for a while and Kylie couldn't remember ever feeling more relaxed. But soon she started to get all wrinkled and she decided that was the best time to get out. She got rinsed off and dressed into her robe before going to see if she couldn't get something nice and cool to drink.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Ristu asked spotting her in the kitchen. He was there helping his mother run the hot springs.

Very much so, thank you," Kylie said smiling. "Your mother is very wonderful, and friendly to. And she seems to really love talking about you."

"I'M SORRY! YOU MUST BE BORED TO TEARS HAVING TO LISTEN TO BORING STORIES ABOUT ME!"

Kylie quickly poked him and he was sedated. "It's nothing to apologize for. I like hearing stories about you. They're adorable."

"Thank you," Ritsu said turning a little red. "Is there something I can get for you?"

"I would like and nice cold drink…if it's not too much to ask," Kylie told him.

"No trouble at all," Ritsu replied grabbing a cup and pouring some milk into it. "Is this okay?"

"That's perfectly fine," Kylie said encouragingly, not wanting to accidentally make him go into hysterics again. After he was finished pouring he handed her the cup and she took it gratefully. "Arigato, Ritsu-san. You make a wonderful host yourself."

He blushed again, "No I'm not that good."

"Of course you are, I wouldn't be saying it if it wasn't true," Kylie continued.

"T-thank you, no one has ever believed in me," Ritsu told her his face beet red now.

"Well, just remember that I believe in you, Ritsu-san," Kylie told him happily.

"Thank you," he said with tearful eyes.

Kylie gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder before going back to the woman's bath to rejoin Linda and Tohru. She walked in and shut the door behind her trying to get used to the heavy steam. "Hey Linda, you still in here?"

"Kylie, is that you?" Shigure asked as his face came into focus.

"Ack! Shigure what are you doing? This is the girls' bath," Kylie exclaimed turning to face the wall.

"Actually this is the men's bath. I have been in here the whole time and have not yet gotten up," Shigure corrected.

"But then…" Kylie started just as she heard the sound of the bolt clicking into the lock. "Hey what are you doing? Let me out!" Kylie shouted.

"You two have fun in there," Linda voice crooned.

"Linda!" Kylie shouted. "Let me out right now! I mean it!" Linda ignored her cousin's demands and merrily skipped off, laughing the whole way. Kylie sank to the floor with a moan. "I can't believe this."

"Well since we can't go anywhere until someone lets us out, why not join me?" Shigure asked with a smile.

"Sure," Kylie answered.

"Really?"

"No, don't you know sarcasm when you hear it?" Kylie asked heatedly.

"Why not? The water's fine and so relaxing," Shigure persuaded.

"I don't even think relaxing in this situation is possible for me," Kylie said keeping her eyes to the wall.

"Why not?" Shigure asked conversationally.

"We're not at that stage in our relationship where I can be at ease with this."

"There are stages?"

"Yes," Kylie said with emphasis. "Don't you know you have to tread water before you can swim? You don't just dive right in."

"I did," Shigure corrected.

"Well, I'm not you," Kylie retorted shaking her head.

"Alright you don't have to join me," Shigure omitted. His answer was followed by the sound of splashing water as he got out of the tub.

"Shigure…" Kylie said slowly, her face becoming very flushed for reasons other than the hot steam billowing around her. "Don't you dare."

"You actually think I'd do something to you?" Shigure asked a little hurt.

"Well…I guess not but still. You seem to like torturing me a lot," Kylie replied determinedly keeping her eyes pointed at the wall.

"You don't trust me," Shigure accused.

"Of course I do it's just…." she trailed off not sure how to put it.

"Fine," Shigure said as he pulled some cloth off the wall. "Is this better?"

Kylie chanced a glance at him and sorely wished she hadn't. He was covered, yes, but only with a towel, and the sight of his near perfect physique slick with hot bath water caused Kylie to stare longer than was really necessary. She looked away again. "I suppose that'll have to do," she mumbled.

She heard Shigure chuckle from behind her. "You're modesty is quite amusing at times."

"I'm not sure how to take that comment," Kylie replied. She heard him come right behind her and was about to ask what he was planning when suddenly she felt a pair of hands begin to rub her shoulders. Her eyes almost immediately fluttered shut of their own accord.

"You're very tense, love," Shigure whispered teasingly in her ear.

"I wonder why?" She remarked, but it was so hard to inject the sarcasm in her voice as his fingers skillfully kneaded out the tension in her shoulders.

After a few minutes he stopped. "Feeling a bit better?" He asked.

"Yeah," Kylie admitted. "Thanks." Just then the lock on the door clicked and the door opened as Yuki entered the bath. He stared from Kylie to Shigure and back again in surprise.

"Excuse me," Kylie mumbled as she stood up and walked past Yuki, eager to get out of the hot bath room. Yuki watched her leave before glaring at Shigure.

"What I didn't plan that," Shigure defended himself. "I'm not complaining but I didn't plan it."

"You disgust me," Yuki told him walking out of the bath again.

"Why do I always get blamed for these things?" Shigure asked aloud with a sigh.

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CM: Bwahaha! What a way to exact revenge! But wait, could this be the end of it? Not by a long shot! Stay tuned. ;)


	23. Vengence is Anything but White part 2

**_Vengence is Anything but White Part 2_**

Dinner was a rather interesting affair. Kylie wasn't speaking or looking at anyone, Yuki was glaring at Shigure because of this, Shigure was trying to figure out why HE was in trouble, and Linda was still in hysterics about all of it. "Would you like some more tea, Kylie-san?" Ritsu offered.

"No thank you, I've had my fill of hot liquids," Kylie told him with a smile.

Linda snickered a little harder at this and Hatori was wondering what could be so funny. "What's up with you today, Kylie? You aren't acting like yourself," Kyo asked trying to hide his concern.

Kylie shot Linda a look before going back to her food. "I'm just tired. I think I might go to bed early tonight."

"Mind if I join you?" Shigure asked. This was answered by a roll sailing across the table and smacking him hard in the side of the head.

The group looked at Yuki who had thrown the roll and then back to Shigure who stood there stunned. "I guess I'll just wait until tomorrow," Shigure corrected not wanting to sustain any more injuries. Linda was trying very hard to keep her laughter to herself and was succeeding until the roll, then she busted out laughing and the others looked at her trying to see where the joke was.

Kylie sighed. "Yuki, it wasn't Shigure's fault."

Yuki stared at her in disbelief. "But I saw…"

"I was feeling really dizzy from all of the steam and Shigure was just checking to see if I was alright," Kylie explained, which in essence was all true.

Yuki stood there for several seconds before looking back at Shigure and apologizing. Once that was done Kylie motioned for Shigure to follow her and the two left. "What was that all about?" Kyo asked voicing everyone's thoughts.

"Never mind, it was merely a case of misunderstanding," Yuki explained before going back to his meal.

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"So, I take it was your dear cousin I have to thank for our bath encounter?" Shigure asked perceptively.

Kylie nodded with a small scowl. "Yeah, that's her idea of a joke."

"Hmm, well, perhaps we can play one of our own," he said with a gleam in his eye.

Kylie thought for a moment. On the one hnd, it would be mean to play a prank on her cousin. Then again... she remembered how mortifiying it had been being locked in with Shigure. "What did you have in mind?"

Shigure's smile grew ever wider.

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Kylie was in the bathroom brushing her teeth while Linda was getting ready to take a shower. "Hey, no hard feelings, right?" Linda asked, restraining a snigger.

Kylie spat out the toothpaste and rinsed before turning to her cousin with a smile. "None whatsoever." She left the bathroom, allowing Linda to hop into the shower, though she didn't hear Kylie quietly open the door and take her robe and towel before shutting the door once more.

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"Hatori, could you come here for a moment?" Shigure asked.

"What is it now?" Hatori asked with an irritable sigh.

"I think that Momiji might have injured himself while in the bathroom. But I didn't want to check because it was Linda's and Kylie's shower and I didn't want another misunderstanding to occur." Hatori raised an eyebrow but followed Shigure nonetheless. When they got there, Kylie was waiting. "Has there been any noise since?" Shigure asked her seriously.

Kylie shook her head, eyes wide. "No… just the shower running… I'm a little worried. Hatori looked at both of them before opening the bathroom door and walking inside.

"Huh? Kylie did you need something?" Hatori's eyes widened as he heard the door slam shut behind him.

He checked the doorknob but was not surprised to find it locked. He turned back around as the shower turned off and shower curtains parted and he saw Linda's arm reach over for the non-existent towel. "Oh ha ha, Kylie, where's my towel?" she asked moving toward the entrance to look around for her robe instead. She glanced around and spotted Hatori standing there and jumped back so fast that she hit the wall before throwing her arms up to her chest and squatting to hide her naked body.

Hatori heard the thudding noise and was immediately worried but thought twice about going to check if she was uninjured. "Are you alright?" He asked her, not moving from his spot.

"I'm not hurt," Linda called out embarrassment dripping over every word. "What are you doing in here, Hatori?"

"I assure you, it was not my intention," Hatori told her sitting down on the closed toilet seat and running a hand through his hair. Shigure was definitely going to pay for this one.

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"I feel so evil," Kylie remarked as she and Shigure walked down the hall away from the bathroom.

"Yes and isn't it just a marvelous feeling?" Shigure asked joyfully.

"I'm not so sure….do you think we're going to survive this night?" Kylie asked worriedly.

"Not to worry, they wouldn't kill us. They love us too much," Shigure told her reassuringly.

"You seem so sure," Kylie said shaking her head.

"I know Hatori too well. He wouldn't kill me. But if something does happen, I've already explained to Ayame that he can have you when I'm gone."

"You really know how to make a girl feel special, you know that?" Kylie said giving him a small shove.

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"Um….Hatori, do you see my robe out there…or my towel?" Linda asked getting over the initial shock.

"No, I'm sorry," Hatori replied being sure to keep his eyes away from the shower itself.

"That's okay….I was just checking." They sat in silence for several minutes unsure of what to say, then Linda shattered it with a sneeze as she was becoming very cold.

"Are you cold?" Hatori asked her.

"Yeah, a little," Linda admitted. After a warm shower she couldn't help but start to feel chilled and wet with nothing to dry herself off with.

"Here," she heard Hatori say and heard the sound of something light landing next to the bathtub.

She cautiously reached over the edge of the tub and found something warm and dry. She grabbed it and pulled it in finding that it was Hatori's shirt. She really didn't want to wear it but the cold she felt and the fact that she was nude made her put it on anyway. It was warm and large enough to cover her so she felt somewhat better. "Thanks," she muttered not sure if she should stay there or wait with him.

"I can understand if you don't want to come out," Hatori guessed her thoughts. "Would you feel more comfortable if I kept my eyes closed?"

Linda thought for a moment and realized she'd feel embarrassed anyway because he's not wearing a shirt. "Not really," she admitted. Then taking a deep breath she stood up and walked out of the shower staring at the ground while her entire face was red.

"I cannot tell you how sorry I am," Hatori said not looking at her. "I honestly didn't think that Shigure could possibly reach this low of a level, though I suppose I should have expected as much."

Linda sat down on the counter taking the opportunity to relax her legs and chanced a glance upward. She saw him sitting there his hand moving through his dark hair and his bare sculpted chest. She felt the heat rising in her face and quickly averted her eyes as a shiver ran down her spine. "This is probably my fault actually. I played a joke on Kylie earlier and I guess this is payback….though I didn't expect something like this to come from her," Linda admitted sheepishly.

This caused Hatori to glance at her. "Is that what the fiasco at dinner was all about?"

Linda nodded. "Yeah… sorry."

"Well, I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised," Hatori said finally.

"You're not angry?" Linda asked him surprised.

"I just happen to have a tremendous amount of self control," he explained.

Linda started breathing normally now that she knew he wasn't angry. "What did you do anyway?" Hatori asked breaking the silence that had settled between them.

"Well, I kind of locked Kylie in the hot spring with Shigure…." she told him reluctantly.

"That would explain this," Hatori said glancing around the room.

"I didn't take any of the towels so he couldn't cover himself though," Linda said in her defense.

"I still doubt that your cousin came up with the idea on her own, much less carried it out. Shigure can be annoyingly persuasive if he's so inclined. And your cousin isn't exactly one to say no. No offense intended."

"None taken…I've always said that she'd get herself into trouble one day because of her naïveté," Linda agreed with a small laugh. "I guess I should have said she'd get others in trouble."

Hatori chuckled softly, "Yes well I'm sure that she might have been less inclined to do this had her cousin not pulled something on her."

"You're probably right….I was just trying to get back for the dress when I went home but I guess maybe I took it too far," Linda said rubbing her head in frustration.

"Again, I shouldn't have allowed Ayame to do that to you, but you didn't seem to mind so much and…" he paused and Linda looked at him curiously. "You really did look nice in that dress."

Linda's face burned at this statement and she looked away again. "I really don't like wearing stuff like that cause it makes me feel self-conscious. The only reason I didn't take it off after the initial show was because Kylie talked me into keeping it on, and I really didn't want you to see me like that."

"Are you ashamed of the way you look?" Hatori inquired.

"No….I just don't like showing a lot of skin. That's all," Linda told him glancing up and meeting his eyes.

Hatori's mouth twitched into a smile. "I'll keep that in mind next time." She blushed heavily again and Hatori chuckled. "So I presume that means you're really uncomfortable now," he said looking over at her.

"Heh….yeah….only slightly," Linda replied scratching her head with one hand and pulling at the shirt with the other.

"If there's anything I can do to help, don't be afraid to ask," Hatori said while calmly averting his eyes. "I'll understand if you don't want me looking at you."

Linda sat there for a bit fighting with herself as to whether or not she did want him to look. She didn't have much on so in that sense she really didn't want him to see her….however, she really liked him and wanted him to look at her because of that. "I-I….want you to look at me," Linda finally decided surprised by her own answer.

Hatori glanced up at her from beneath his ebony bangs, nearly as surprised as she was. He saw the resolution in her eyes and was impressed by it. "Then I'll never look away," he answered. Linda was caught up in his dark eyes and couldn't look away. Then to her surprise Hatori stood up and approached her, "I'll keep watch over you and stay by you, if that's what you wish, Linda." His low voice was so rich, and his words so candid and filled with promise.

Her heart went a million miles an hour as he stood only inches from her bare legs. Then he placed his left hand on her right cheek and held it there slowly stroking her chin. "I-I love you, Hatori," Linda breathed feeling her heart race and finally understanding what Kylie meant.

At her words, Hatori's face relaxed into a tranquil smile that Linda had rarely ever seen him wear before and she couldn't help but note just how beautiful he really was. His lips parted about to respond whether with words or with actions, Linda didn't know nor care for that matter… and then the silence was destroyed by the sound of someone opening the door.

They turned quickly and saw Haru walk in and glance between the two several times before shrugging and walking back out. "Well I'd better go and get changed," Linda said hopping off the counter carefully so as not to have it ride up. "Whatever you were going to say….just hold it until later," she added before turning toward the door.

Hatori gently stopped her and spoke so low Linda almost didn't hear him. "Linda…"

Linda froze at the seriousness in his voice and something made her want to run away but the soft touch from his hand on her wet arm keept her there. She really wanted to hear what he had to say but she also really wanted to leave for fear of someone else walking in on them. Finally she decided and held onto that resolve with all her might, "Yes, Hatori?"

"Linda," Hatori said her name again. "I know this is rather sudden but…"

Linda found her heart thudding faster and she chanced looking at him. "What is it?"

"No matter what happens," he told her firmly. "Do not blame yourself for my selfishness." And he walked past her and out of the room.

Linda stood there frozen, "What did he mean by that?" After several minutes she shook herself out of her daze and quickly ran to her room where she found her towel and bath robe. "I can't say that wasn't an enjoyable experience….but I'm still going to hurt her for that one," she thought drying herself off and changing into her pajamas. Then she carefully took Hatori's shirt and hung it up so it could dry without wrinkling. "I'll give it back to him in the morning," she thought staring at the shirt and remembering the strange request.

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"Were you planning on sleeping out here?" A playful voice asked and Kylie opened her eyes to see Shigure standing over her.

"I might as well," Kylie said with a yawn. "I'm too scared to go back to my room."

"Well you could always come and stay with me. At least it's better than sleeping out in the cold," Shigure said coming over to her and sitting down as well.

"There you go again," Kylie said playfully rolling her eyes. "Is that even allowed?"

"I'll allow it," he said grinning. "The others might look down on it but I won't."

"I dunno…" Kylie said, still unconvinced.

She wouldn't mind spending the night with Shigure, but at the same time she didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea. "No one has to know, if that's what you're afraid of."

"How is it you always know what I'm thinking?" she asked indignantly.

"So that is what was wrong. Well no problem then. You come sleep with me and in the morning before anyone wakes up we'll get you back to your room," Shigure declared joyfully.

Kylie sighed putting her head in her hand. Shigure saw the obvious conflict she was having and placed an arm around her shoulders. "As I said before, I won't push you to doing anything that makes you uncomfortable. So if you don't want to, that's--"

"I'll spend the night with you," Kylie said cutting him off.

"Really? You mean it?" he asked caught off guard.

"Yes I mean it, but only on one condition," Kylie replied.

"Name it," Shigure said happily.

"You are not to do anything indecent."

"Of course not," he declared with a large smile. "Now come let's get you to bed and into the warmth."

He led her inside and offered her a pair of his pajamas when they saw that the bathroom was now empty, thus indicating that Hatori and Linda were back in their rooms by now. They were slightly baggy on her, but other than that were warm and smelt really nice. Once she was finished changing she went back to his room where he was waiting. Her heart was hammering as she shut the door behind her and she scolded herself.

"Come lie down," Shigure said patting the bed he had made for her. "Don't worry I won't bite."

"I've heard that one before," Kylie said, grinning despite herself. She walked over and sat down on the bed. It was very comfy and she could tell he had put in some extra padding. "Sometimes I think you spoil me to much," she told him, running her hand over the mattress.

"You are my special someone, of course I'm going to spoil you. I want to make you happy all the time," Shigure said stroking her hair. "I can't help but spoil you."

Kylie looked down at the floor.

"Something bothering you?" Shigure asked her.

"That obvious?"

"It's usually when you don't look at me that I know something is wrong," Shigure alluded.

"It's just… why me?" Kylie asked him.

"Why, because you are a spunky girl who enjoys life, and always sees the silver lining in any situation. You care about your cousin very much and you care about all around you, even those you should avoid. Plus, like me you can always keep a smile and know how to take a joke," Shigure explained after a moment of thought.

Kylie tilted her head to the side. "But there are plenty of other girls like that," she said.

"Yes, but none quite like you," Shigure said kissing her forehead. "Now no more talk, it's time for bed and you look like you could really use it," he told her turning out the light and lying down himself.

Kylie lay down on her bed and tried to relax. She tried stretching out to give herself more room but she could only go so far before running into Shigure. "Having troubles getting comfortable?" Shigure asked amused. "If so maybe I can help you."

Kylie felt her pulse increasing as she felt his body easily slide next to hers. "Shigure…" Kylie whispered.

"I'm sorry… am I crossing a line?" He asked gently pulling her against his warm body so that she was drowning in his scent.

"Yes…" she whispered breathlessly, as her arms wrapped themselves around him of their own accord. "Permission to cross... granted."

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CM: Kawaii! Aw, they're getting over their insecurities! ^_^ Next time, time to pack up and go home. Stay tuned!


	24. Surprising Results

_**SURPRISING RESULTS**_

The next morning was rather interesting in many ways. The maid had gone into Shigure's room by accident and discovered the two together and ran off in shock. Linda had woken up to no sign of Kylie and Hatori's shirt still hanging where she had left it the night before. The others woke up because Kyo and Yuki had gotten into another fight and the commotion woke everyone else up.

Kylie's eyes drifted open and she was almost surprised to find herself still held snugly in Shigure's arms. "I was wondering when you would wake up," his voice said teasingly in her ear. Kylie rested her head against his chest unable to remember a time when she felt more warm and comfortable than she was at that moment. At this point she almost didn't care if someone walked in on them.

"By the way, I thought I should tell you….the maid walked in on us not too long ago," Shigure stated hesitantly.

Kylie just lay there for a moment, not saying anything. Then she let out a giggle of mirth. "Was she surprised?"

"Oh yes, she left almost immediately. To be honest I was disappointed that she didn't shout her surprise," Shigure answered with a small laugh himself.

Kylie just smiled up at him. "You know what? It's okay. I've realized it's too much of a bother to care what other people think, so I'm going to try not to worry about it so much."

"That's a good plan," Shigure agreed hugging her tightly and giving her a loving kiss. "Now how about breakfast? I'm sure you are hungry after the excitement of yesterday," he added sitting up.

"Very," Kylie said with agreement. She stretched and let out a content moan almost like a cat would. "Just let me go get dressed for the day and I'll meet you down there, okay?"

Shigure agreed and allowed Kylie to head out of the room before changing himself.

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Linda knocked on Hatori's door, wondering if he was even still in there. But when she heard his deep voice say, "Just a moment," she waited patiently. Her patience was soon rewarded when the door opened and there Hatori stood straightening his tie. "Good morning," he greeted Linda.

"Morning, just thought I'd bring back your shirt and say thanks again," Linda said holding out his dry, neatly folded shirt. "It made me feel at least a little less self-conscious." He took the shirt gratefully and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

Linda smiled as she found that she was getting use to his light touches and kisses. The two went downstairs together where everyone else was already sitting waiting for them. Shigure and Kylie were sitting next to each other much to everyone else's amazement.

"Morning Kylie, Shigure, guys," Linda said with a smile sitting down opposite them while Hatori sat next to her. This arrangement only made the others more confused.

"What's going on?" Kyo asked glancing from one pair to the other.

"Don't worry about it Kyo…it's nothing big," Linda told him with a smirk.

"It's probably none of your business," Yuki muttered.

"Grrr, I've just about had my fill of you, Rat Boy," Kyo said glaring at him.

"Funny, I've had my fill of you years ago," Yuki said not even looking at him.

"Why you--"

"Please don't fight," Tohru said pleadingly.

"I guess some things will never change," Shigure sighed and glanced over at Hatori and Linda. "Well, you two look well. Have a fun night?"

"As well as can be expected," Hatori replied not revealing anything.

"What about you two? You look like you had fun yesterday," Linda added with her fake smile in place being as polite as possible.

"We did," Kylie said with a genuine smile.

"I noticed you didn't come to bed last night," Linda commented trying to sound casual.

"Well, I figured you would want some privacy after your shower," Kylie replied betraying nothing.

"What gave you that idea?" Linda asked slowly picking up her food and eating it.

"Well you just looked like you needed some time alone that's all," Kylie replied also starting on her food.

"So where did you go last night?" Linda asked glancing up at her as she chewed.

Kylie took her time chewing her mouth full of breakfast and then swallowing it before opening her mouth to answer. "I slept with Shigure," she answered pleasantly.

Everyone froze at her statement Linda had her food halfway to her mouth and Kyo and Yuki stopped mid argument to stare at the pair. Hatori looked at Shigure and could tell that they weren't kidding. Haru and Momiji looked at them in surprise and Tohru had her hand together and was telling them that she was very happy for them.

"You did what?" Yuki and Kyo shouted together.

"You're a very sick man Shigure," Yuki added.

"We all know she's gullible so why did you have to go and do a thing like that?" Kyo shouted.

"Now now, it's not like I forced her," Shigure raised his hands in defense. "I merely gave her a little persuasion."

This did nothing to cool Kyo and Yuki's anger and the pair looked as if they were going to beat the man senseless. Kylie's shoulders shook from laughter. "Guys, nothing happened. I just spent the night in his room. That's all."

They looked at her in surprise that she could do such a thing and laugh about it. Even more so they were surprised to hear that Shigure didn't do anything. "Well it's good that you two at least got some good sleep," Hatori said offhandedly.

"I'm sure you two had a lot of fun with that," Linda added pulling herself together.

"You all think so little of me," Shigure said with false sadness. "I was only offering her a safe haven."

"No woman is safe when you're around," Kyo remarked.

"A haven from what, if I may ask?" Yuki inquired curiously.

"The dark spirit of vengeance," Kylie answered.

Linda couldn't help but laugh at this and even Hatori chuckled a little. "The dark spirit of vengeance that's a good one," Linda said wiping her eyes. "What did you think would happen if you slept in your own bed?"

"Terrible, terrible things," Kylie said semi seriously. "Things that I don't even dare speak of."

Linda laughed again and finished her food before she said anything else. "Kylie I need to speak with you alone real fast," she said standing up. The others stared between the two cousins and wondered what that conversation was about and what they were going to talk about now. Kylie followed Linda out without a word, however, leaving Shigure under the vengeful stare of Hatori. Once out of the room Linda stopped and looked at Kylie, "Okay we both had a good laugh at each other but did you honestly think I'd do something to you in your sleep?"

"Maybe," Kylie said with a grin. "Besides, I found last night to be extremely helpful with my embarrassment."

"…." Linda didn't say it out loud but she secretly wholeheartedly agreed with her cousin on that note. "Alright, how about we call it a truce?"

"Sounds good to me. If we keep going the others might get caught up in the cross fire."

"Good point….it would be bad if we started using Kyo and Yuki against each other…especially since they're already not very happy," Linda agreed. They gave each other a hug and apologized for their own behavior before they went back in the room with genuine smiles on their faces.

"Well, now that we have breakfast out of the way, I think it's time we give the girls our gifts," Shigure suggested to everyone.

"But I thought this trip was our gift," Kylie said in confusion.

"That was MY gift," Momiji told them.

"Okay...so you guys got us one as well?" Linda asked surprised.

"Well you two did give us those Christmas presents and Valentine gifts so why not?" Shigure told them throwing his hands into the air.

Yuki gave Linda a hair tie, Kyo gave her a book on marshal arts, and Haru gave her another hug. "You really like those don't you?" Linda asked slightly embarrassed.

"Maybe," Haru answered with a slight grin.

"Is he in white Haru mode or black Haru mode?" Linda thought uncertainly.

"This is for you," Hatori said handing her a small package. Linda opened it and found a small necklace with a seahorse as the center piece and pearls for the eyes. "I figured you'd never forgive me for giving you the snake so I settled with that," Hatori said seeing the stunned look on her face.

"You're right I wouldn't have," Linda replied with a large smile. Then in her happiness she jumped up and gave Hatori a kiss.

Then it was Kylie's turn. Yuki gave her a book of recipes for Japanese cuisine, Kyo got her a pair of numb chucks that he promised he would teach her to use, and Haru… his number. Kylie stared at him in confusion and he just grinned at her. "Text me any time."

Kyo hit him on the head. "You better change back to white real fast!"

"My turn," Shigure said magically pulling a box out from behind him and giving it to Kylie.

She opened it and saw to her astonishment… "Handcuffs?"

"Shigure…" Hatori, Kyo, Yuki, AND Linda growled.

"I was only kidding!" He hurriedly pulled out another box and gave it to Kylie before he ended up with more injuries.

Kylie opened the second case as the others kept a close eye on Shigure and pulled out a small silver bracelet with little horse charms all around it and Garnets for the eyes. "Wow that's pretty," Linda said smiling at her cousin.

"At least it's better than the handcuffs," Kyo added glaring at Shigure.

"Where did the handcuffs go anyway?" Linda asked glancing around.

"And where did Haru go?" Kylie asked. There was a long period of silence.

"I don't even want to know," Yuki said putting a hand to his head.

"Thank you, I love it," Kylie told Shigure before giving him a tight hug.

"These gifts were awesome thanks guys," Linda said with a big grin and a high five to Kyo. Kylie also said thanks and even shook Yuki's hand, much to his embarrassment. "So now what? Is this all there is to White Day?" Linda asked curiously.

"Well, we still have one more day here, so we can all just relax and have fun," Shigure said.

"With no pranks," Hatori said out loud.

Linda and Kylie both blushed slightly but agreed whole-heartedly. "Don't worry Hatori, we already formed a truce," Linda explained reassuringly. Then she and Kylie headed off to the women's bath and sat relaxing in the spring. "I don't know about you…but those gifts were really cool…though Haru's was a little creepy," Linda stated once she had gotten inside.

"Hehe, I dunno," Kylie giggled softly. "I thought all their gifts were special in there own way."

"Special, yes. But still creepy," Linda stated, sitting back and closing her eyes.

"Linda… I've been thinking…"

"About what?"

"Well… what happens when we have to go back?" She asked softly, afraid someone else might hear.

Linda opened her eyes and stared at her cousin for a moment. "To be honest I completely forgot…." Linda replied slowly. "The school year is coming to an end so I guess we'll have to leave once it's over." She sank partially into the water until her chin was covered. "After all this….I'm not sure I want to go back."

"I don't want to either," Kylie said honestly. "I like it here in Japan, and I like living with the Sohmas."

"Yeah…. I know what you mean," Linda said contemplating.

"I can just imagine what my mom would say," Kylie said bitterly. "It took forever just to convince her to let me come here."

"Yeah that's true….I doubt Aunt Marge would be too happy to have us stay either…..I honestly think she likes us around just to torment us," Linda added with a small laugh. "I can just hear it now…you have to return because we don't have the money to keep you in school over there. Besides you've probably already caused more trouble than they can handle so it would be best if you came home," Linda said in English mimicking her aunt's voice.

Kylie sniggered a little at that. "Yeah, that sounds like something she would say." She stretched her legs out before speaking again. "Honestly, I think we're treated a lot better here than we ever were back home."

"I second that one. If nothing else I want to stay so I can continue working for Hatori," Linda replied taking a deep breath. "I don't think I'm ready to say goodbye."

"And you think I am?" Kylie asked.

"Oh, I know you're not," Linda said smiling. "Especially since you slept with him."

Kylie gave her a look before splashing her. "Oh haha, but seriously… this is the happiest I can ever remember being. I don't want to go back to being a cursed figure of the family."

"Maybe we won't have to," Linda said her eyes lighting up. "What can they do if we decide to stay? For money we just keep working for Ayame and Hatori and try to get what Scholarships we can. As for a place to live I'm sure Shigure wouldn't mind keeping us around."

"I think my mom would have an ulcer, though I know Dad wouldn't mind," Kylie said thoughtfully.

"It's time to cut the umbilical cord," Linda told her matter-of-factly. "As far as I'm concerned, I wouldn't have any problems disowning myself."

"That's rather harsh," Kylie said wincing.

"Kylie, most of them despised us for something we couldn't help, and others just used us. You want to go back to living with that?"

"Of course not," Kylie said with a frown. "Besides, I don't think I could go back even if I wanted to."

"Well, I'm not going back….no matter what I have to do to stay I am not going back," Linda declared leaning against the wall again.

"Well, I'm not about to let you stay here by yourself," Kylie told her matter-of-factly.

"Great….I wouldn't have it any other way," Linda replied grinning widely. "Plus, I'm sure Shigure will be extremely happy to hear that."

Kylie smiled in spite of herself. "So it's decided then… if we can… we stay here."

Linda nodded and they fell into a contented silence.

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On the other side of the dividing wall Hatori and Shigure exchanged glances and so did Yuki, Kyo and Momiji. "I forgot they were just foreign exchange students," Yuki said sadly.

"They won't have to go back when the school year ends….will they?" Momiji asked almost in tears.

"It would be really weird if they left," Kyo agreed. "I wouldn't have anyone to spar with anymore."

"They did just say that they plan on staying so I doubt they'll leave if they could help it," Shigure said reassuringly.

"They're willing to leave their lives behind to stay with us," Yuki spoke quietly. "Their home, any friends they might have had, and their family."

"Well they don't sound too regretful about it," Kyo commented.

"I honestly wouldn't mind if they stayed," Haru said putting in his two cents.

"But will they be allowed to?" Yuki asked finally, voicing everyone's hidden worry.

"Linda's stubborn enough to find a way for the both of them to stay….I have no doubts about that," Hatori declared glancing at the wall. "When she wants something she goes for it with everything she has."

"Don't count Kylie out," Shigure noted. "She may not be as stubborn as Linda, but she is one of the most determined and open-minded individuals I've ever seen."

"Very true, I'm sure with the two of them working on this problem we shouldn't have anything to worry about," Hatori agreed before standing up.

"Ah, done already Hatori?" Shigure asked.

"Yes," Hatori replied getting out and grabbing his robe before anyone could question him further. He would like to believe his own words, that the two would find a way to stay, but from first hand experience he learned that life wasn't always so accomadating.

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CM: Will the two girls really be able to find a way to stay? Stay tuned! :)


	25. Vacation Plans

CM: Hey everyone! Good news, I found some time and was able to prepare this chapter for you. Hooray! Thanks for your patience and enjoy. :D

**VACATION PLANS**

"Thanks again for everything," Kylie told both Ritsu and his mother. "We had a great time."

"I'm really glad," Ritsu said happily.

"Keep up the good work, Ritsu," Linda said patting him on the shoulder.

"Thank you both for believing in me," Ritsu belated overjoyed.

"No problem," Kylie and Linda said together before waving their goodbyes and getting into the vehicle with the others. The trip home was uneventful and almost tense as everyone had something on their mind….except for Linda and Kylie.

"What's got you guys all bummed out?" Linda asked after about an hour of absolutely nothing…not even Momiji was saying anything.

Nobody spoke for a while, that is, until Yuki broke the silence. "If you both don't mind my asking, what was your family like?" He asked courteously.

Kylie and Linda exchange glances. "Well," Kylie began. "They're good people."

"Good people who kept their distance," Linda finished.

"We were, I guess you could say, the black sheep of the family," Kylie elaborated. "Nobody really knew what to think of us. What we have doesn't exactly pop up frequently."

"I'm sure you guys can relate considering what you have an all," Linda added trying to help put it into perspective. "Like we told you before, our family either became really distant, they tried to use us, or they became overly protective. My Mom, Kylie's mom and dad, and our Uncle Leo were the only ones that truly cared about us….though most of them were the overly protective type."

"Uncle Leo never was because he understood the curse more than anybody and took time every once in a while to teach us how to control it properly," Kylie continued with a small laugh. "Going out with him was a lot of fun."

Everyone listened to them with interest. They had never heard the girls talk in depth about their family before. In fact, none of them knew hardly anything about the two girls' life before they came to Japan. "After he was gone, well, the leash around our necks was shortened," Linda continued. "Finally we decided we had had enough and just wanted to get away. So we both signed up for the exchange program and here we are."

"If your family is overly protective then why did they let you come to a foreign country alone?" Yuki asked slightly.

"Well….they didn't really. We kind of had to take about a year maybe more to convince them that this was what we wanted to do and that we'd be fine. Even when they finally let us we still had to tell them we'd be fine while at the airport," Linda explained. "It got really annoying but we somehow did it."

"So you don't regret coming here?" Kyo asked them.

"Heck no," Linda said immediately. "Coming here was probably the best idea we've ever had. Although we did almost go to Germany."

"Why Germany?" Yuki asked.

"It was closer to home," Linda replied with a wave of her hand. "Germany was the closest country that I actually wanted to go to….but Japan was my first pick and when we got the letter saying it was approved I was not going to let them stand in my way."

"Germany is supposed to be a very beautiful place with less roads than most countries though the Autobahn was there," Kylie added whimsically. "It was probably one of the safest countries….at least that's what my mom was worried about. But we're glad we decided to come here instead, and we have absolutely no regrets," Kylie finished.

"We're all very glad you both feel that way," Shigure said smiling.

"Why's that?" Linda asked looking into all of their faces.

"It's because we feel that way as well," Hatori explained. Linda smiled at him and her cheeks held a tinge of pink in them.

"So what are you going to do when your school ends?" Momiji asked with a pleading stare.

Kyo bopped him on the head and Kylie and Linda both once again exchanged glances, now beginning to wonder if they had heard their earlier conversation. "Well," Kylie began. "We were thinking of sticking around a little longer. If that was okay anyway."

"Yes please stay," Momiji shouted grabbing onto Linda's arm since she was closest.

"We would all be delighted if you would continue living with us," Shigure said from the front.

"That's good because I don't plan on going anywhere," Linda said with a pat on Momiji's head and a big smile all around. "I hate to say it but now we only really have to worry about whether or not we will be allowed to stay."

"Yes, we will need to speak with Akito about that eventually," Hatori said in a tone that clearly told them all that it was something unavoidable. Not that they needed telling.

After arriving at the house the group said goodbye to Hatori, Haru, and Momiji and then went in to dinner feeling both happy and anxious. There was no telling when they would have to speak to Akito again but they all knew that when that time came there was a good chance that someone was going to get hurt.

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For the next few weeks, Linda and Kylie decided to devote themselves even more to their school work in order to get the max amount of scholarships they could. They were studying so hard that they rarely came into the living room to socialize. When they did they brought their books with them so they could study and be with their friends at the same time. When it got too rowdy though they left because they found it hard to focus on their work. The only big break they got from studying was when they went to work….or on dates with their respective men. One day at work Linda caused something to break, again, and it gave her arm a long but shallow cut.

Hatori was immediately at her side, examining the cut. "What were you doing?"

"Sorry, I guess I wasn't paying attention," Linda apologized.

"Obviously," Hatori sighed before guiding her to sit down in a chair while he cleaned her up. "You always seem to get yourself hurt even when it isn't because someone took your luck," Hatori stated while cleaning up her wound.

"Yeah….I guess I am a little clumsy…more than Kylie at least," Linda agreed with a small laugh.

"Speaking of Kylie, has she been fairing as well as you have been, lately?" Hatori questioned as he got out some bandages.

"Yeah, we really have. At this rate we'll be able to afford staying in Japan. No problem."

"That's good to hear…I was a little concerned if all your hard work was going to pay off," Hatori expressed as he tied the bandages around her arm.

"Yeah so were we…but somehow it all works out," Linda declared launching one hand into the air. Hatori glanced up at her and remembered when such an action would cause her to apologize and blush heavily.

Linda noticed his stare and quickly continued onto another subject. "So I've been told that this upcoming week is Golden Week. What's that about?"

"It's essentially a week consisting of four national holidays, so most people take the entire week off rather than keep having to return to work only to leave the next day."

"Makes sense," Linda said thoughtfully. "So no school then?"

"That is correct."

"I think I like the sound of that. But can I still come to work?"

Hatori smiled. "If you feel so inclined."

Linda smiled and then started to flex her fingers as he had finished the bandage. "Linda…" Hatori started placing one hand on her injured arm. "I want you to be more careful, you may get seriously hurt while I'm not around."

"Don't worry, I usually only relax my guard when I'm with you so I doubt that'll ever happen," Linda told him as she brushed his fringe of bangs out of his face. As she moved it she noticed the tale tell signs of an old injury around his eye. "Hatori….what happened to your eye?" she asked worriedly.

Hatori looked away from her. "It's not important. It happened a long time ago."

Linda caught hold of his arm. "Hatori, please. It's important to me," she entreated.

He looked back at her face for a moment and sighed before sitting down next to her. "Where to begin?" He asked, more to himself than to her. "Years ago, I was in love with a woman named Kana. She, like you, worked with me and we inevitably grew close. One day, we decided to go to Akito and ask his permission to be married."

"You were to be married?" Linda asked suddenly feeling unworthy of him.

"Yes, but Akito wouldn't allow it and he damaged my eye," Hatori explained placing on hand over the eye in question. "Kana blamed herself for my injury and she soon became very ill because of it. So to save her from that awful fate I erased her memories. Now she's found someone else that can make her happy and are married."

Linda looked up and saw the sadness that had grown into his face as the story had progressed. "I'm sorry," Linda said gently placing her hand on his shoulder.

"It's the past," Hatori said placing a strong hand over hers. "And while the memories do linger, I don't have much room for regret. I don't regret meeting you Linda, and I don't regret falling in love with you. The only thing that haunts me is the possibility of putting you in danger because of my selfish desires."

"Trust me, I'm not going to be hurt because of you. If I do end up getting hurt it'll be because of my own clumsiness," Linda told him with a laugh.

"That's not something to be joking about," Hatori scolded his hand unconsciously moving toward her injured arm.

"Sorry, but seriously I doubt there would be anything you could do that would hurt me," Linda amended kissing the hand that was on hers…as she couldn't reach his face.

Hatori's hand slowly slid from her arm to around her shoulders as he pulled her into a gentle hug, hoping against hope that she was right.

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"Thanks again for the outfit, Ayame-san," Kylie said on her way out of work.

"Let me know what Shigure thinks," he called bidding her farewell. Kylie went outside and her face instantly split into a wide grin when she saw Shigure waiting for her as always.

"Ah, is that a new outfit you're carrying?" Shigure said eying the box she had beneath her arm.

"Yes, but you don't get to see until later," she teased walking up to him.

"Ah but I want to see it now," he wined pulling her into a hug and giving her a gentle kiss. "Please?"

"Not this time," Kylie replied pulling away from him and hopping into the car. "I mean it, you have to wait until later."

Shigure sighed and slid into the seat next to her. "You never let me have any fun," he complained starting the car.

"Ha!" Kylie exclaimed. "Well maybe since I'm such a kill joy I'll just give Ayame the outfit back."

"No please don't," Shigure pleaded his hand shooting out and grabbing onto her arm. "I'm sorry, you really are a lot of fun."

"Hehe, good puppy," Kylie said with a grin as she patted him on the head. Shigure pouted playfully but smiled.

The two had gotten unimaginably closer over the past month and Kylie found herself much freer when it came in regards to their relationship. They still hadn't crossed certain lines yet, but that didn't put a damper on the pleasure the two got just by being in the other's company. "So, I hear tell that Golden Week is nigh," Kylie said conversationally.

"Yes, maybe during that week you will be free enough to come on vacation…just the two of us," Shigure suggested hope filling his voice.

Kylie felt her stomach flutter. Even though she had for the most part gotten used to his suggestive comments, every now and then he would say something that got her pulse going. Not only that, but the very idea of being alone with him somewhere… "That actually doesn't sound too bad," she said after some consideration.

"Yes, I already have everything planned and paid for so we'll be leaving the Monday of Golden Week," Shigure explained with a big grin on his face. "I hope you don't mind."

"Thanks for telling me," Kylie said with a hint of sarcasm.

"You're not angry are you?" Shigure asked slightly worried. Kylie heaved an exasperated sigh.

"Staying angry with you would be like kicking a puppy. It's just impossible for me to do."

Shigure stopped the car having arrived at their destination. "It's because you love me so much, right?" he asked turning toward her and placing a hand on her cheek.

"Not at all," Kylie replied jokingly and gave his hand a light squeeze before jumping out of the car. "So what would you like for diner tonight?"

"I don't know about dinner," he said, his grin taking on a perverted tilt. "But I do know what I'd like for desert."

"You're going to be waiting an awfully long time for that one."

"What? I was talking about dumplings of course," Shigure said innocently.

"You're not fooling anyone," Kylie said poking him. "I will, however, make the dumplings."

He smiled and followed her into the kitchen to help out. "I'm glad you aren't in your little shell anymore," Shigure said offhandedly. "I was really worried when you had that barrier up."

"Yeah, well, it helped when you practically pole vaulted over it," Kylie said with a grin as she got out the items needed to make dinner. "And working at Ayame's shop really helped too. Honestly, before then I never saw myself as anything worth looking twice at. I never thought I'd feel this comfortable with myself."

"Why is that? What could possibly make you feel so inferior to the world?" Shigure asked surprised.

"I guess I just never saw myself as attractive," Kylie admitted. "At least not compared to most women."

"I find you to be the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," Shigure said stroking her head. "When you first came here you couldn't even look at me, much less any other man. What got you into such a scared habit?"

"I… had a bad experience back in high school," Kylie said softly. "I fell in love with this guy, and I thought he felt the same. He knew about my secret but he said he didn't care. But once someone found out about us seeing each other, he denied the whole thing, that there was no way he'd date a freak like me," Kylie's voice became a little shaky as she conveyed her story. "Then he had his friends attack me while I was walking home from school. They… well, they didn't manage to do anything too bad before my dad found us and stepped in."

Shigure sat there in stunned silence for a long time understanding why she had been so scared of him before and feeling guilty about some of the things he had said. "I'm sorry if anything I have done brought back those memories," he said soberly pulling her into a hug.

"A little," Kylie admitted. "When I first started getting to know you, I was terrified. But not for reasons you might think…. I was scared because I started getting these feelings for you that I didn't want to be there because I didn't think you could ever possibly feel the same."

"Well, I'm glad that you're feelings eventually came out and the wall has fallen," Shigure told her with a small kiss. "I love you very much and I would never want to hurt you."

"I know," Kylie said softly. She knew she could trust Shigure, and she did trust him, with all of her heart.

"And I will prove my love on our vacation!" Shigure declared.

Kylie playfully shoved him away. "Perv! You just want me for my body."

"Well, I admit that's a bonus," Shigure said, closing his eyes and rubbing his chin.

"Hey! Quit imagining!" Kylie demanded.

"Alright, as long as you make me desert," Shigure said smiling at her.

"You're dumplings will be ready shortly," Kylie responded brusquely, but she couldn't hide the smile on her face.

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CM: Cuteness! Hehe, next time, Golden week plans unfurl and our two girls are both in for big surprises. STAY TUNED! ^_^


	26. Golden Lining

CM: HOORAY! The chapters finally here! Everyone rejoice! Thank you all once more for waiting. ON THIS DAY, your patience will be rewarded.

**GOLDEN LINING**

The Monday of Golden Week came and Kylie and Shigure left the house on their way to their grandiose vacation. "So where are we going and how are we going to get there?" Kylie asked as the car sped off in a direction she didn't recognize.

"Where we are going is a surprise….but we will be getting there by bullet train," Shigure explained with a smile.

"I've never been on a bullet train before," Kylie said with unrestrained excitement.

"Well, now you finally get your chance," Shigure said, happy that she sounded so thrilled.

They made it on the train in time and once it started going, Kylie was a little surprised by how fast it went. "I guess I can see where it got its name from," she said with a small laugh.

"Yes indeed. With this train we will be reaching our destination within 10 minutes," Shigure explained watching her face with pleasure.

"Cool, but you still haven't told me exactly where are destination is," Kylie said tilting her head in curiosity.

"Patience, love," Shigure said tapping the tip of her nose with his index finger. "All will be revealed in due time."

"I'll hold you to that."

In no time at all they arrived at one of the islands that belong to Japan. Kylie stepped off the train and was in awe of the beauty of the island. "Where is this?" she asked stunned.

"This is Okinawa Island. The Sohma family has a special resort on this island which is where we'll be headed," Shigure explained.

"So we get to stay here for an entire week?" Kylie asked in amazement.

"Well, five days and four nights," Shigure corrected.

"Still, this is going to be amazing! Can we go to the beach? Or are we touring the island? Maybe shopping? I mean I know most guys don't like to go shopping but it would be really cool if we just looked around at the stuff they had. This is really amazing! Thank you so much, and I'm sorry I'm just hyper right now." She was practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

"We will do whatever you want to while we're here," Shigure replied laughing. "We are definitely going to the beach at least one of the days we are here….what we do the rest of the time is completely up to you."

Kylie's eyes widened with delight. "Sweet! Okay, well, I think we should probably get settled in wherever we're staying first. That way I can look at some brochures and we can decide what we can do."

Shigure nodded and lead the way to the street where he called a cab and they rode off to the Sohma family resort. When they arrived Kylie saw how huge the place was and that it was beach front property. "So what do you think?" Shigure asked helping her get out of the cab.

"I suddenly feel very small and insignificant," Kylie said staring unblinkingly at where they would be staying. Shigure chuckled before taking her by the hand and leading her inside.

"Hello, Sohma-san," the woman at the desk greeted warmly.

"Good morning," Shigure returned the greeting. "I believe I had a reservation."

"Ah yes, the couple's suite. Right this way," she said obtaining a key and handing it to him.

"It's room 13 on floor three." Shigure thanked her before taking the key.

They took the elevator to the third floor which only had two rooms on the floor. Shigure went and opened the door to room 13 and held it open to allow Kylie to enter first. When she went in she saw an enormous living room with several couches and a beautiful view of the beach through window that took up the entire wall.

The sight of it took Kylie's breath away. "I take it you like what you see," Shigure observed as she walked slowly through the room as if afraid she might accidentally break something.

"This… this is way too much," Kylie murmured. Never had she imagined actually standing in a room like this, let alone be staying in one.

"You don't like it?" Shigure asked.

"It's not that, it's just… it's so… grand."

"Well it is a suite after all," Shigure said grinning.

"Obviously you've never been in a couples suite in Motel 6," Kylie said dubiously.

"No I've never even heard of such a place," Shigure replied curiously.

"Well, picture a room about as big as your kitchen, with a small window, a cable t.v., smelly carpeting, and uncomfortable beds that feel like you're sleeping on concrete," Kylie elaborated.

"That doesn't sound very promising," Shigure murmured. "Why would someone stay in a place like that?"

"It's the cheapest place to stay," Kylie said with a shrug. "Our family was never exactly what you'd call well off financially. But we weren't dirt poor either. We just could never afford, well, this," she gestured at the room around her.

"I see….well take as much time as you like to enjoy your accommodations," Shigure said gesturing around him. "There are brochures on the table that you can look at to decide what you want to do first."

"I think we should both decide," Kylie told him as she went over to examine a few. "After all, you're probably more familiar with this place than I am, so you would know what attractions were worth seeing."

"True," Shigure agreed sitting down next to her. "There will be several festivals going on during our stay here. Perhaps you'd like to attend one of those?"

"I've never been to a Japanese festival before," Kylie said thoughtfully.

He ruffled her hair. "You'll find yourself doing a lot of things that you've never done before the week is out."

Kylie looked up at him. "Shigure.... I…" She paused, then said, "Let's have lots of fun while we're here, okay?" Shigure merely smiled and nodded his agreement.

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"So the two of them left this morning?" Hatori asked as Linda joined him for work. "Do you know where they went?"

"Nope…but it doesn't really matter. Wherever they go I doubt anything big will happen," Linda said putting a file into its rightful place.

"You seem to have a lot of confidence," Hatori noted.

"Yeah well, Kylie has a pretty good leash on Shigure so there won't be anything he can do against her will," Linda explained with a little laugh.

Hatori smiled in spite of himself. "I can't help but admire her for being able to accomplish something I've had to work on for years."

Linda smiled. "Well, it kind of helps that she happens to be the woman who caught his interest."

"Just about every woman catches his interest," Hatori replied bluntly.

"True, but she is the only one that he truly fell for," Linda told him as she turned and gave him a big smile.

"Well, I will say this much, she has certainly toned him down the slightest bit," Hatori admitted with a small smile as he flipped through some medical records.

"Say Hatori…." Linda started finishing up what she was doing.

"Yes?"

"Um…could we go to one of those events going on this week? I've never seen one and I thought it would be fun."

Hatori looked over at her after he replaced the files back into their designated drawer. "Of course we can. I should be done here in a little while."

"Great," Linda said with a grin.

"Also, I was curious," Hatori began.

"Yeah?" Linda asked.

"Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?" he asked with etiquette.

"Sure thing," Linda replied immediately. "Where would we go?"

"I was thinking of going to the Sohma family Restaurant. It's not far from here so we could walk on over after work."

"Okay….I'll have to make sure that I bring something appropriate to dress in. Knowing the Sohma family places it'll probably pretty ritzy huh."

"You don't have to wear a dress if that's what you're worried about," Hatori took into account her aversion of wearing dresses.

"I don't mind it as long as I'm not showing too much skin," Linda shrugged. "Just please don't call Ayame."

"Don't worry I won't," Hatori promised with a soft smile.

"Good, I'll find something suitable for tomorrow night and we'll be all set," Linda told him smiling widely.

"Just try keep out of trouble while you're at it," Hatori warned her.

"Hey, I've been doing really well lately," Linda said in her defense.

"That may be, but that doesn't stop me from worrying," he said reaching up and touching her cheek.

"You keep worrying so much and you'll get wrinkles early," Linda joked with a small laugh.

"Well if I do it'll be because you weren't being careful."

"Sorry, maybe I should just start living in a bubble and then you won't have to worry about me."

Hatori's mouth twitched. "Knowing you, there would still be need to worry for one reason or another."

Linda punched him lightly in the arm as a frown appeared on her face. "Oh come on I'm not THAT clumsy."

"Forgive me, but weren't you the one who said I needed to develop a sense of humor?" He asked with a smile before placing a kiss gently on her lips.

Linda was a little shocked to see him crack a joke but she laughed anyway. "That was a good one….you really can be funny when you want to."

"Yes I can, now it's time to get back to work…unless you really don't want to go anywhere tonight," Hatori said smoothly as he turned and went back to work.

"Yes sir."

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It was the third day on their vacation and Kylie was having the time of her life. They had taken a road trip around the island, visited several of the shops and restaurants, and went to the festival and watched the shows and plays that were for public viewing. It was noontime and after spending the days walking around, Kylie was ready to relax on the beach and catch plenty of sun rays.

"Hey Kylie….could you do me a big favor?" Shigure asked coming up behind her.

"What is it Shigure?" Kylie replied somewhat wearily.

"I was wondering if you could wear this to the beach for me." He held up a tiny string bikini and had one of his perverted smiles on his face.

There was a very long pause, so silent that a bird could be heard cawing as it flew by the window. "No way, I absolutely refuse. I've worn some pretty erotic things working at Ayame's store, but this is where I draw the line."

"Please just this once….for me," Shigure pleaded not wanting to lose what might be his one chance.

"There's hardly anything there," Kylie said exasperatedly. "I might as well go naked for all the cover it's going to give me. And wipe that grin off your face right now because that isn't going to happen either."

"Okay then how about just around the suite?" Shigure suggested compromising.

"Not on your life," she said crossing her arms.

"You're so cold," Shigure whined, drooping his head.

Kylie rolled her eyes playfully. "I won't wear that, however, I am willing to compromise. I found a cute two piece while we were out shopping. It may not be as… showy, but I think you'll like it."

"Ah alright, I guess I'll just have settle with that," Shigure expressed looking down at the suite he was holding in disappointment.

Kylie almost began to pity him but she reminded herself she couldn't let the puppy dog face get her every time. So quickly turning away she told him she would be right out before entering the bathroom to get changed. After a few minutes of waiting on Shigure's part, he heard the door open. "Okay, I'm ready," Kylie said stepping out.

Shigure stared at her for several moments taking in the sight and loving every inch of it. "So I take it you like what you see?" Kylie asked moving from side to side.

"Oh yes very much so," Shigure breathed unable to say much else.

Kylie giggled at his reaction. "See? Now isn't this much better?"

He had to admit the swim suit really did suit her. "You're like a tropical flower."

Kylie smiled at the compliment. "Well, we better get going. The day won't last forever."

Shigure smiled and together they headed down to the beach where Shigure almost immediately dove into the water. Kylie decided to stay on the beach and work on her tan, just so she could relax. "Come on Kylie, the water's fine," Shigure shouted seeing Kylie sitting on the beach.

"No thanks," Kylie called to him. "I really would rather not."

Shigure cocked his head and began making his way towards her. "What's wrong? Can't you swim?"

"Of course I can."

He came up to her. "Then why not come join me?"

"….I guess I'm more afraid of what's in the water than being in it."

"What do you mean?" Shigure asked crouching down beside her so that Kylie could see the water trickling down his sleek torso.

"It's just, the water's so shadowy I can't see what's around me," she said finally.

"Well in that case I'll check it first to make sure you won't be bothering any wild life," Shigure offered jumping up and running back to the water. He splashed around for a bit making a complete fool out of himself. "Well if there was any life out here their gone now. Come join me," Shigure called out smiling.

Kylie couldn't help but laugh. Feeling now that she owed him after that little display she got up from the beach towel and made her way to the water's edge. She stood just where the water swept into around her bare feet and was very cool compared to the midday sun. "You're not going to get much swimming done there," Shigure remarked.

"Give me a moment," Kylie said trying to stall for as long as she could.

"If the water is colder than what you're used to then just dive right on in," Shigure told her as he splashed water all over her. "There did that help any?"

Kylie gave a small scream as the cold water splashed over her. "You jerk! I'm going to get you for that," she declared.

"Good luck accomplishing that from there," He said as he began to floating on his back away from her.

Kylie smiled. "Oh just you wait…" Bracing herself she ran out into the deeper water. It was much colder than she had anticipated and she had to swim around a little to get used to the temperature.

"See? Now that wasn't hard," Shigure said floating by.

"Yeah, now I'm just going to get hypothermia," Kylie replied as she stood waist deep in the water, shivering. It was a lot colder than the beach back home.

"I won't allow you to get sick on our little vacation," Shigure declared. "So just enjoy the water and try not to keep too much of your body above it." He floated by again on his back flicking little bits of water at her as he went. "You keep up like that and you just might get hypothermia."

"Sure, and while I'm at it, I'm make sure not too much of you is above the water," she replied before tackling him, completely catching him off guard, and causing him to sink below the surface with her on top of him. Served him right.

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"Which one which one," Linda thought going through the dress section of the clothing store. "She had no idea what would be appropriate enough nor did she really have a good sense of style…and she knew it. She had been standing around moving from dress to dress unable to decide and unwilling to try on some of them. "Some of these look really nice, I just wish they didn't show quite as much skin," she thought bitterly to herself holding a dress up to herself and not being satisfied.

"Well hel-lo there," A boisterous voice boomed and Linda immediately felt her spirits sink lower than ever.

"Oh no…"

"It's good to see you Linda, my dear. It's been rather lonesome not having Kylie around the shop so I thought I'd cheer myself up by do a little perusing. But my, how lucky I am to have found you."

"Yeah… lucky," Linda replied with biting sarcasm.

"What's this?" Ayame asked her noticing the dress she was holding.

Linda looked down to see what he was pointing at and quickly hid the dress behind her back. "It's nothing," she said backing up slowly.

Ayame was quicker though and deftly grabbed the dress from behind her back. "You are going dress shopping?" he asked in surprised. "Then why not allow me to help you? I'm betting this is for Hatori so I know just what to get for. Mine," Ayame called out.

Mine came running up at the sound of her bosses call. "Yes?"

"Linda here is dress shopping, but it would cost too much to get her dress from here so let's bring her back to my shop."

"No I'm going to get my dress here and I'll do it myself," Linda declared turning her back on them…big mistake.

Linda felt a vice-like grip on her shoulder and saw to her horror Mine with a sadistic glint in her eye. "Come with us," she whispered. "We'll make you something special."

"That's right," Ayame agreed. "I shall not have Hatori's significant other wearing just any dress. It must be THE dress that was MADE for her."

Linda groaned and tried to fight back but to no avail. Mine and Ayame quickly swept her away from the store and went back to Ayame's shop. "You're just bored aren't you," Linda guessed heaving a huge sigh.

Ayame ignored her question and immediately went flitting about his store looking for a dress that would be perfect. In moments he came back with a dark blue dress that had a very low cut in the front.

"I'm not wearing that," Linda declared staring with skepticism at the dress.

"Just go try it on," Ayame said shoving the dress into her hands and then her through the curtain of the dressing room.

Linda sighed again but knew that she wasn't leaving until he had found the dress for her, so she tried it on and saw that the front showed quite a lot of her front. She immediately took it off and shouted through the curtain "No way."

"Hmm, I forgot, Kylie told me you were more of the conservative type," Ayame thought out loud, putting a finger to his chin in thought. Then after a few moments he snapped his fingers. "Well, we'll just have to keep trying. Mine, could you grab the collection of dresses from over there?"

"Yes sir," Mine said before rushing off. She gathered the dresses and brought them to the dressing room Linda was in. "Try some of these," she told Linda.

Linda sighed but did as she was told. She tried on dress after dress feeling satisfied with some while Ayame said no, and really not liking others while Ayame said yes. It took at least an hour but eventually Linda and Ayame came to an agreement on a dress. "You sure he's going to like it?" she asked looking the dress over.

"Of course he will," Ayame said without any lack of confidence. "Once he sees you he'll never be able to look away. He'll have to tear his own eyes out before he can will himself to look at anything else, heaven forbid of course."

"He didn't hear about what happened at the hot spring did he?" she thought to herself somewhat worried. "Well I never thought I'd say this but….thanks Ayame," Linda said with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"No trouble at all," Ayame replied with a low bow.

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CM: Wow, things are definately looking up? What could make life any better? Hmmm.... I wonder.... Stay tuned! ^_^


	27. Propositions of the Highest Order

**Propositions of the Highest Order**

"Shigure, I feel self-conscious when you keep staring at me like that," Kylie said out loud, not opening her eyes. She was laying down on the beach blanket, soaking up the late afternoon sun's rays. After all that swimming and water fighting the two of them had, she was content to just lay there and allow the sun to bake her skin into a nice tan.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize that I was being such a nuisance," Shigure said still looking at her. "I figured that if the sun could look at you all it wanted then so could I."

Kylie opened her eyes and smiled over at him. "You sure like to put a twist on things, don't you?"

"Perhaps," Shigure said returning the smile. "Now how about we go for another swim?"

"Not after what happened earlier," was Kylie's response.

"Why not? We had such a fun time last time," Shigure complained.

"Maybe but remember you changed during the water fight and then got washed on top of me afterwards," Kylie reminded him brusquely.

"Are you saying you didn't enjoy that?"

Kylie could feel herself turning red and she sighed. "I'm even starting to get used to comments like that."

"Well, if you won't swim at least let me put on some more sun tan lotion for you. You're looking awfully red," Shigure noted. Kylie flipped over on her stomach.

"Fine, but if your hands stray anywhere there will be trouble."

"I promise not to stray too far up or down," Shigure stated putting one hand in the air. He then proceeded to rubbing the milky substance onto her back and any exposed areas.

Kylie felt herself relax under the soothing, massaging touch of his fingers as he took care to rub the lotion deep into her skin. Even after the lotion was fully rubbed in he continued kneading his fingers into her muscles. She let out a content sigh. "I'm starting to think you're a little TOO good at this."

"Well I have had plenty of practice over the years," Shigure confided. "Don't underestimate the knowledge and experience of a Sohma."

Kylie figured as much. She would never dare flatter herself so far as to think that she was the first woman he had ever gotten involved with. "I've had plenty of experiences. It's just that most of them involved an injury of some sort."

Shigure laughed at her witty comment and lied down next to her. "You know, without all your injuries and 'clumsy moments' you are absolutely amazing."

Kylie was half tempted to ask him what he meant by that, but decided to just take the compliment. "Thanks. You being a pervert, you're not so bad yourself."

"You're teasing certainly has escalated if nothing else," Shigure sighed.

"Wari, wari," Kylie said taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. "The amount of teasing I give someone only shows how much I care about them."

Shigure smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Then he turned and stared up at the sky as the sun slowly began to set turning the sky orange, pink, and purple. "Kylie, will you grant me the honor of having a walk down the beach before it gets dark?" Shigure asked getting up and offering his hand.

"Need you even ask?" Kylie said taking he offered hand, entwining her fingers with his as she was pulled onto her feet. Kylie stared out at the calm waves as the wind blew the salty air steadily. She pleasure at the gently feel of the white sand between her toes with every step she took and of the warmth of the hand holding hers. Shigure took her to a bluff where they could enjoy a better view of the sea. "I wish this could last forever," she murmured.

"Unfortunately all things must come to an end," Shigure replied placing an arm around her shoulders. "I must say that you are the only woman I've ever known who could magnify the beauty of the ocean a hundred times over."

Kylie flushed appreciatively. "Stop…"

"Am I embarrassing you?" Shigure asked with a coy smile.

"How can you say things like that so easily?" Kylie asked him, looking down at her feet.

"I've always made it a virtue to be honest," Shigure said simply.

Kylie couldn't help but feel humbled that this man, who in her opinion was more beautiful than she could ever be, would have such an opinion of her.

"Now the only thing that would make this better would be if we consummated our love right here underneath the stars," Shigure went on looking at her with that purvey grin.

Kylie's head dropped. 'How did I know he was going to say something like that?' "Shigure… I can't." She had no difficulties giving him her heart, but her body… She wouldn't mind giving him that either, but her insecurities held her back from doing so.

"I understand….how about on the honeymoon then," Shigure asked with a soft smile.

Kylie's head snapped up to look at him. "Wh-what do you mean? Who's honeymoon?"

"Ours," Shigure said in a voice just above a whisper. Kylie felt him take her hand and slide something on it. When she looked down, an engagement ring sparkled on her left finger. "I want you to stay here with me, always," Shigure said raising her hand and giving the ring a small kiss. "If you want me."

Kylie could feel her eyes beginning to water and she hugged him. "Yes," she answered. "More than I've ever wanted anything."

They embraced for several minutes as the sun set behind them allowing the moonlight to shine. "So….now that we're engaged….can we show our love through consummation?"

"What happened to waiting until the honeymoon?" Kylie asked wryly, letting go of him and walking back towards the hotel.

"Calm down, I was only kidding," Shigure said quickly with a laugh as he walked with her. "Oh, by the way. The hotel is having some problems with the water system so in order to save as much hot water as we can, it would probably be best if we both just showered at the same time."

"Nice try, but no."

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"Are you ready to go?" Hatori asked waiting at the door for Linda.

"Yeah, almost," Linda called out making sure she was set. Then as soon as she was satisfied she walked out of the room she was using to change and came face to face with Hatori. "I'm ready," she smiled holding her day clothes in a bag. She was wearing a maroon, form fitting dress that had no sleeves, and a broad low-cut neckline. She was wearing a dark shawl that hung over her shoulders and her hair was down framing her made up face.

For a few moments Hatori was unable to speak. And the more he continued to stare at her, the darker Linda's cheeks became. He smiled. "You look very lovely."

"Thanks…sad thing is Ayame helped me pick it out," Linda explained somewhat embarrassed.

He chuckled. "Though his taste can be questionable at times, Ayame's passion has always been his dress making. But it's nice to see he didn't go over board."

"He tried….believe me he tried. I was not going to let him get me into most of those dresses though," Linda told him with a smile.

"Well, shall we be going then?" He asked her, holding out his arm for her.

She smiled warmly and gently took his proffered arm and together they left feeling the warmth between them. A few minutes later they were in the car headed for the restaurant and Linda found herself staring out the window unable to find something to say.

"It seems that Kiley's old habit has transferred itself into you," Hatori said out loud while keeping his eyes on the road. "You're usually livelier than this. Is something wrong?"

"No…I've just never been on a formal date before…so I'm feeling somewhat out of place," Linda explained turning red. "Until I ran into you I had never been on dates at all. I just don't know how to act in these situations…that's all."

"Is that all?" Hatori asked, though it was more of a statement of relief than an actual question. "It's very simple. You just need to be yourself. I could never ask anything more of you."

Linda turned and looked at him smiling, "Good because I don't know how long I'd last under the strain of being something I'm not." After that Linda seemed to calm down and she chatted to Hatori about random things…school, her cousin, their curse….the usual. When they arrived at their destination Linda's jaw dropped and she once again started feeling really out of place.

Hatori noticed her reaction. "I take it you're not use to places like this."

"Not exactly," Linda gulped.

"It's alright," Hatori assured as he helped her out of the car. "As I said before, just act naturally."

"Easy for you to say," Linda muttered following him inside. Hatori chuckled at her discomfort and told the man at the front that he had a reservation for two. The man nodded and lead the pair to a table for two in the center of a large room that glistened with crystal and ice sculptures. "This place is…amazing."

"I'm glad you approve," Hatori said as they sat down. "If you need any help with your menu, you only need ask."

"Right…" Linda said picking up her menu and staring at all the choices with wide eyes. "Wow…how do people know what to order? Especially with all those choices in different languages," she thought.

"Do you know what you want?" Hatori asked glancing up at her.

"Uh….I don't even know what most of these are," Linda stuttered.

"What are some of the things you enjoy eating?"

"Well…" Linda thought. "Hamburger, chicken fried steak, tater tot casserole, barbeque…"

Hatori stared at her blankly for a few moments. Finally he said, "They have pasta."

"Um…okay that'll work," Linda agreed pulling her head into her shoulders from embarrassment. "I guess you'd never find what I like in a fancy place like this huh."

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about," Hatori comforted her. "Perhaps I over shot it a bit, but I wanted to make this special."

"Well you certainly succeeded," Linda congratulated, "In making this special at least. I'm completely blown away by this place."

"Well I'm glad you approve. Looks like it's time to place our orders," Hatori added looking up as the waiter came and took their order. After he left Linda took a moment to look around the room and suddenly realized that they were the only ones there and a band was setting up.

They began to play elegant music and some of the customers were stepping out onto the stretch of wooden floor which Linda only then realized was a dance floor. Linda sipped on her water while, enjoying the calming music that was being played, until the food came. When she bit into it, she couldn't believe how incredible it tasted.

"I had no idea that the food at restaurants like these tasted so good," Linda exclaimed happily.

"I'm glad you like it," Hatori replied with a smile at her surprise.

"Do you eat like this all the time?"

"I try not to make a habit of it," he told her. "Even with the Sohma family, I find it unnecessary to overindulge without reason."

"Okay…I kind of always thought that rich families always dined like this," Linda said explaining her question. She took another bite and felt the great taste rush over her tongue. "How do they make this so good?"

"In order to keep their prestige, the restaurant is required to serve food as delectable as possible. Otherwise it would lose its class. A simple demonstration of reciprocity, if you will," Hatori explained.

"I think I get it," Linda said as she took the last bite of her food. "This was the best dinner I've ever tasted." She wiped her mouth on one of the napkins on the table and sat back with a satisfied smile on her face.

Just then the band began to play a softer, slower melody feature the violin and Hatori stood up. Linda stared in confusion as he held his hand out to her. "May I have this dance?"

Linda looked at him in surprise for a moment before smiling and taking his hand. Hatori lead her onto the dance floor and placed his hand on the small of her back before starting to move. "I didn't know you could dance," Linda exclaimed with a smile.

"One of my hidden talents that I like to keep quiet about," Hatori said as he guided her gently across the floor. "How come?"

"Just think about it, how do you think Kyo and the others would react if they found out I could dance? What do you think Shigure would do in response to it?" Hatori asked as he dipped her a bit.

"You've got a point, I never really thought about it before," Linda replied as he pulled her closer.

"I trust though that you can keep it a secret."

"Sure thing," Linda nodded.

They danced for the entire song and at the end Hatori dipped Linda really low and held her there for a moment. She stared up at him and her eyes locked onto his and got lost in their great depths. Slowly, ever so slowly, Hatori raised her back up again, and Linda found that she had been holding her breath for nearly an entire minute and she inhaled deeply taking in the scent of his cologne.

"Linda, I want to thank you for accepting my invitation," Hatori told her as the song began to wind down.

"No problem," Linda said almost winded.

"I have one more request to make," he said seriously.

"What is it?" Linda asked him.

He slowly reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a little box, then he knelt down on one knee. He looked up at her as he opened the small box and softly asked, "Linda….will you marry me?"

Linda felt her heart leap up to her throat as he asked and then slowly she smiled and allowed him to take her hand placing the ring he held onto her finger. "Yes," she answered breathlessly. "Yes I will."

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CM: OMG! The question has finally popped up! But will this really be allowed? Stay tuned!


	28. To Give it All Away

CM: Hey y'all! I'd just like to once again thank you for reviewing. We really appreciate it.

**To Give it All Away**

A couple days later, Shigure and Kylie had arrived back from their trip and were having a pleasant lunch with Kyo, Yuki, Tohru, Hatori, and Linda. It was only too obvious that the two couples had become ever closer by how close they sat next to one another.

"So how was your trip Kylie?" Tohru asked glancing between the two couples.

"Yes I was wondering about that myself. Shigure didn't do anything did he?" Yuki asked sipping his tea.

"Now that's rather mean of you," Shigure stated.

"Well, you do have quite the reputation to be a little… ill-behaved," Kylie said with a small laugh.

"I have no idea what you mean," Shigure said with a smile as he clandestinely placed his hand on her thigh causing her blood to heat a little. "I'm always a good boy."

"Who are you trying to kid? You've never been good you stupid dog," Kyo shouted standing up really fast.

"There's really no point in shouting Kyo, Shigure is who he is and there really isn't anything you or anything else can do to change him," Linda said with a laugh. "You're only wasting your time."

Yuki sipped his tea before asking politely. "So… when is the wedding?"

"Huh!? What the hell are you talking about?" Kyo asked him.

"Honestly, can you possibly be more blind? It's obvious that Kylie is getting married considering the ring that is resting on her finger," Yuki explained without looking up at anyone.

Kylie gave an embarrassed laugh. "Well shucks, we've been found out."

"Oh wow, I saw it but I didn't think it was an engagement ring. That's so wonderful," Tohru gushed. "Linda, does that mean you're engaged too? I noticed you had one too but I suppose it could just be a normal one I mean just cause a person has a ring doesn't mean they're engaged but…"

"Would you please quit babbling on like that?" Kyo told her.

Linda blushed a bit and looked up at Hatori, "I didn't think you guys would notice so quickly. Though I guess since Kylie is wearing one too it would be rather noticeable," she mumbled slightly.

"So you are then?" Tohru asked practically gushing.

"Yeah…looks like we both did huh Kylie." Just then the door bell rang and Linda stood up real fast. "I'll get it," Linda said walking over to the door.

When she opened it, she was surprised at who it was. "Pardon the abrupt visit," Kureno said unsmiling. "But are Shigure and Hatori here?"

"Um…yeah just a sec," Linda replied feeling worried. She turned and walked back into the dining room with a serious look on her face and looked directly at Hatori. "Kureno's at the door….he want to talk to you and Shigure."

Hatori and Shigure exchanged glances before getting up from the table. "If you'll excuse us," Hatori addressed them before walking out. Kylie went with Shigure.

"What brings you here Kureno?" Hatori asked when the four of them got outside.

"Akito wants to speak with you two and I must warn you that he's not in the greatest of moods," Kureno explained seriously.

"Well then, it's best not to keep him waiting," Shigure said with a smile devoid of any of its usual humor. Kylie looked at him with worry and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "We'll be back soon" he promised. She merely nodded in response.

Hatori and Shigure followed Kureno down the walk until they were stopped by a hand on their sleeves. They turned and found Linda holding onto both of them and a strange look in her eye. "Good luck you two," she said before letting them go.

This took the both of them by surprise since Linda herself had said that she didn't believe in wishing people luck. But they took the sentiment with thanks and continued on their way. Once they got to the main house, they both traveled to Akito's chambers. "Well, I suppose it was unavoidable," Shigure stated lightly. "It was bound to come to this sooner or later."

"I know…I just don't want another incident like what happened with Kana," Hatori replied heavily. "All I can say is that I'm glad Kylie and Linda aren't here to see it." With that he opened Akito's door and the two of them stepped into the room. "We came as you asked Akito. What is it that you called us for?"

"Is it that strange for me to want to see members of my own family?" Akito asked softly from his seat next to the window. "You both have been rather busy, haven't you?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Shigure asked with a smile.

"You haven't come to see me for quite a while. What have you been doing that would keep you from visiting me?" Akito asked with a hint of malice in his voice.

The two could easily tell by the tone of voice that he was fit to burst at any given moment. And he would one way or another no matter what they said. "You've been… with those two haven't you?" Akito hissed. "Those two little sluts who wish to steal my family away from me."

"Yes we have been with them, they do after all live with Shigure," Hatori answered slowly.

"Yes and one of them works for Hatori, we can't exactly avoid them like this can we," Shigure added trying very hard to not set Akito off.

SMASH! The flower vase that had been resting by the window sill smashed against the opposite wall. "Don't patronize me!"

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"You did it, didn't you?" Kylie asked Linda as she walked past her, back into the house after the two left.

"Did what?" Linda asked nonchalantly.

"You know exactly what," Kylie asserted.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Linda declared walking into the house.

"You never wish anyone luck. You deliberately gave it too them," Kylie accused. Linda stopped and sighed heavily.

"Was it that obvious?" she asked turning back to look at her cousin. "I know I probably shouldn't have but something told me that I needed to. Don't worry though, I promise not to go anywhere that may cause my death okay."

Kylie stared at her cousin worriedly but nodded all the same. "I'll hold you to that."

"Great, now let's go finish breakfast," Linda said walking back to the kitchen. Kylie gave once last glance bak to where she last saw Hatori and Shigure before following.

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"Akito we have not left you, nor have we abandoned you in any way," Hatori said trying to get him to calm down. "You are the head of the Sohma family and we care for you. Nothing is going to change that."

"You say that but you don't really mean it. I'll bet right now you'd rather be with them instead of me!" Akito indicted picking up a porcelain figurine and throwing it. It sailed right past Hatori's head and shattered into dozens of pieces.

Hatori was shocked that Akito missed but assumed that he must be so angry that he can't aim right. Akito on the other hand saw that nothing happened and got even angrier. Taking the nearest item he could find and throwing it at the pair in front of him did nothing to quell his anger as once again he missed.

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"Linda!" Kylie called as she search through the house. "Linda!"

"She's not here right now, miss Kylie," Yuki's soft voice told her as he was passing by.

"Where did she go?" Kylie asked.

"I think she said something about getting some fresh air."

Kylie's eyes widened. "Dangit," she said before grabbing his hand and pulling him along. "Come on, we have to find her!"

"Miss Kylie, please slow down," Yuki implored as he was dragged along." Kylie bumped into Kyo on her way out.

"Hey, what the--?" He began but was cut of as Kylie grabbed him and began dragging him along also.

"You're coming too."

"The hell!?"

"I have to find Linda before it's too late," Kylie declared without letting them go.

"She went for a walk…so what," Kyo said trying to fight back.

"She gave away her luck….there's no telling what could happen," Kylie explained.

Both boys' eyes widened and they began to run with her. "Why the heck would she go and do a stupid thing like that?"

"They same reason I would," Kylie said not slowing her pace. "To protect the one dearest to her."

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The room was in disarray as items lay broken all around them. Hatori and Shigure sat in the middle of the debris unhurt and very surprised. Akito stood in front of them panting from his tantrum and shocked to see that he hadn't done any harm to either of them. Shigure and Hatori both realized that without anything for Akito to throw, this would be the one chance they had to bring up the marriages.

"Master Akito, though I know this probably isn't the best time, there is a favor I would like to ask," Hatori said in his patient voice.

"And what would that be?" Akito hissed as he was attempting to catch his breath.

"Hatori and I wish to marry Kylie and Linda," Shigure stated breathing deeply.

Akito stared at them surprised by the request before he gritted his teeth and shouted angrily at them. "NO, I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS. HOW DARE YOU ASK FOR THAT AFTER SAYING YOU WOULD NEVER LEAVE ME," he shouted spit flying all over.

"We wouldn't be leaving," Shigure tried to sooth. "We'd just be added a couple of members to the family, that's all."

"I don't care. I will never accept those two witches into this family…no matter who likes them," Akito declared viciously. "I want those two to be out of your house Shigure, now."

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"It's a really nice day out today…don't you think Uncle Leo?" Linda asked as she leaned against the side of a cliff. "I hope Hatori and Shigure are doing all right…I'm really getting worried about them." She heaved a sigh and looked down at the small picture she held in her hand sadly. "I remember you saying that we need to be careful who and when we give away our luck…I was wondering if giving it to Hatori and Shigure right then was a good thing. Did I do it right, or should I have just let the meeting take its course?" She heaved a sigh and moved away from the wall when the sound of something falling caught her attention and looking up she saw a huge rock slide falling down the side of the cliff. She started to run out of the way when her foot hit something on the ground forcing her to the ground right in the raging rocks path.

At the last second she rolled out of the way and the rock crash right by her, but the impact of it caused the cliff she was on to give away and Linda's eyes widened as she looked up to see an avalanche of dirt headed straight for her.

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"With all do respect, Akito," Hatori said, "It was you who gave permission to allow them to stay."

"I don't care what I said before…I don't want those two in there any longer. I want them out," Akito demanded.

"Linda won't have to stay there any longer…as she'll be living with me," Hatori explained slowly.

"Kylie, however, will be staying with me," Shigure told him earnestly.

"You… you would dare defy me?" Akito demanded, his eyes wide with near hysteria. "I am the head of this family! I decide who stays and who goes and who comes in!"

"You seem to be looking healthier every day, Akito," Hatori said softly.

"I've noticed you do seem to have more energy than usual the past few months," Shigure agreed.

"What of it?" Akito demanded.

"I'm sure that your recent good health is because Linda and Kylie are unconsciously giving you their good luck," Hatori explained. "Without them around I'm sure your health would return to the way it was before."

"What? That's a lie! Whoever heard of anyone being able to just hand over their good fortune?" Akito demanded, not willing to believe it.

"It sounds unbelievable, that is true," Shigure said with a soft smile. "But then again, if you look at us, it's not all that strange."

"In a sense it's their own curse. They are forced to give up their good fortune just by touching or even walking by someone that needed it. In return they become injured or receive poor fortune at the same moment," Hatori added trying to get Akito to understand.

"Isn't that nice, Akito?" Shigure said with his small smile. "They were so concerned about your well being that they risked injury just to make you feel well."

"Wait you said that it just kind of happens, why would you say they did it on purpose?" Akito demanded dubiously.

"Well apparently they can deliberately give up their good luck at certain…times…" Hatori explained as fear started running through his body. "She didn't," he thought realizing why they had not gotten hurt.

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"Linda!" Kylie shouted when she found the picture of Uncle Leo nearby the large pile of dirt. Kylie threw herself onto it and began digging frantically. "Linda! Don't worry, I'm coming."

Kyo grabbed her by the shoulders and lifted her off the pile. "Look if you try to get to her that way you're more likely to have it fall in on her," he said keeping her from diving onto it again.

"I'll get some friends of mine and search through it first….hopefully she's wasn't hurt by the fall," Yuki added changing into the rat right there and being joined by several other rats.

Kylie watched as the rats began to dig through the rocky soil and Kyo kept a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to ease her worry. After several minutes Yuki ran up to Kylie. "We've located her. Thankfully she fell into an air pocket so she appears to be unharmed, but she's unconscious."

"Also if we aren't careful then the rocks that are supporting the debris on either side of her will shift and she will be covered," Yuki added glancing back at the pile.

"Kylie, Linda, Yuki, Kyo, where is everybody?" Shigure called out from the direction of the house.

"Over here!" Kylie shouted. They waited for several moments until Shigure and Hatori appeared looking worry stricken.

"Where's Linda?" Hatori asked immediately.

"She buried under the rubble," Kylie said looking as if she was ready to cry. "Before you left she… and now this…"

"I was afraid of this," Hatori muttered looking at the pile. "Is she alright?"

"She doesn't appear to be hurt, but she is unconscious in an air pocket," Yuki explained once he changed back and got dressed.

"Is there anything we can do to get her out without causing a cave in?" Hatori asked worriedly.

"If we are very careful then yes," Yuki replied softly.

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CM: The worst seems to be over, but is that really the case? Stay tuned!


	29. Road Blocks

**Road Blocks**

It took a long time, but after much help from the rats, they were finally able to pull Linda out of the dirt pile and take her back to the house. Tohru helped Kylie clean her up while Hatori checked for any serious damage.

"Nothing appears to be broken and her breathing has finally returned to normal. I think she'll make a full recovery by tomorrow," Hatori declared wearily. "We'll know for sure once she wakes up."

"Linda…" Kylie said softly.

"Well, obviously there's nothing more we can do except wait until she regains consciousness," Shigure said placing his hands on Kylie's shoulders. "In the mean time, let's get you cleaned up. You look like you were buried along with her with all the dirt you have on you."

Kylie nodded and allowed herself to be lead out of the room. Hatori sat down next to Linda and began to wipe her forehead with the wet cloth lying next to her bed. It wasn't until about 8:00 that Linda finally woke up. She glanced around once her eyes came into focus and saw that Hatori had fallen asleep with his head on her bed. "He doesn't look hurt. I guess it worked," Linda thought with a smile on her face.

She figured that Hatori must have been exhausted because he didn't even stir. She gently reached out and brushed away the bangs hanging over his eyes. He looked so beautiful in his peaceful slumber.

"I'm not feeling any real pain and I'm still at Shigure's so I must have been caught in some sort of air pocket. Does that mean that I got my luck back?" Linda thought frightened. She tried to sit up but a sharp pain shot through her body and she fell back to her pillow waking Hatori up.

Hatori sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before looking down at her. "I see you're finally awake. You had us worried for a while. How are you feeling?"

"I'm a little sore but other than that I'm fine," Linda replied with a small smile. "How did things go with Akito?"

"Well we weren't injured if that's what you're worrying about. Your luck kept us safe for that much, though I can't understand why you would do that," Hatori scolded.

"I didn't want to see you get hurt like you did with Kana," Linda explained softly.

"Whether I get hurt or not are based on my decisions. Do you honestly think I want you getting hurt in my place?" Hatori asked her.

"Well, no…" Linda said looking down at her bed covers. "But at the moment, I didn't care what happened to me. I just wanted you to be safe." Her hands clutched the bed covers as she spoke. "I didn't want someone else to get hurt because they didn't get my luck. I didn't want to see it again."

"What do you mean?" Hatori asked her.

"What? Oh it's nothing," Linda replied quickly turning away and closing her eyes.

"Is it about James?" Hatori guessed remembering what Kylie told him before.

Linda's eyes shot open, surprised that he knew the name. "Yeah…how did you know?"

"Kylie told me what she knew about it after your experience with those boys," Hatori explained taking hold of her hand. "I want to hear what happened from you though."

Linda closed her eyes for a second thinking about his request before she looked at him with sad eyes. "Alright…I'll tell you." She took a deep breath and thought about where to start. "I was in fourth grade when I met James. He was such a nice kid and was almost like a class pet but we played together on the playground all the time. Then for about a week he quit talking to me and everyone else, which made me worried so when I saw him disappear around a corner I followed him to make sure he was all right."

*Flashback*

"Well, well, if it isn't little baby James," the leader of a group of bullies said leering down at the small boy. "I think you owe us some money."

"I don't have any on me," James said trembling. "My dad hasn't been able to give me my allowance yet."

"So I take it you didn't get the other stuff either did you?" the leader continued.

"No…my dad won't let me get close to it. I can't get it," James answered frantically.

"So the due date has come and gone and you haven't been able to give us the money or the cigarettes from your daddy's store. Pathetic. We're going to have to show you why you should always pay back what you requested," the leader told him snapping his fingers to signal to his buddies what to do. Linda saw the three boys advance on the frightened James and took a deep breath before shouting at them to stop and running to stand in front of him.

"This isn't any of your business girly," the leader growled. "Butt out."

"No," Linda said defiantly. "He's my friend and I'm not about to let you get away with hurting him."

They all laughed. "Linda, don't…" James whispered.

"Looks like you got yourself a girlfriend James. I wonder if you'll make sure you get the stuff if she's the one who'll get hurt instead of you," the leader snickered as an evil grin spread across his face.

"It'll take a lot more than that to scare me," Linda declared holding her position. She glared up at the group defiantly and braced herself for anything that might happen.

"Hey you kids," a teacher said coming around the corner. "You all know you're not supposed to play around here. Now get out of here before I notify the principal."

*Pause Flashback*

"So it ended right there? I thought Kylie said you were placed in the hospital after your little encounter," Hatori said cutting through her dialogue.

"She was right. This was only the start of it. This happened at school so there wasn't much they could do about it, what Kylie remembered was what happened afterwards," Linda explained as a single tear escaped her eyes.

*Continue Flashback*

Linda was out taking a walk unbeknownst to her family. She had snuck out in order to get away from the stifling atmosphere for a while. She made her way to the bridge and leaned against the edge staring down at the river rushing beneath her. It had rained recently so the usually calm water was in rapids.

As she stared at the water taking in the water's scent she noticed four small shadows down below underneath the bridge. Three of the shadows were rather large and the fourth was small and looked familiar. Then she realized that the forms below were that of James and the bullies she had seen before. She started to run and found a way to reach them below before picking up a rock to use against them. As soon as she reached the bottom she saw the leader hold up a large stick looking thing so she threw the rock at his wrist making him drop it.

"Ow! What the—" The guy looked around and his eyes narrowed when he saw Linda. "You again. You won't get away this time." Two of the guys started forward in order to grab her.

James ran forward and grabbed Linda's arm before dragging her away from them. "You idiot, I told you not to get involved," he shouted.

"I was just trying to help," Linda replied sadly. "You shouldn't have to go through this alone. I want to help you," she continued giving him her luck.

"I don't need your help already," he shouted back and Linda felt something heavy hit her in the chest as he shouted. Just then she tripped and fell face first into the dirt as a rock flew through the air and hit James in the head and he tumbled head first into the roaring river. "JAMES," Linda shouted as she watched him fall in unable to do anything about it.

*END FLASHBACK*

"They never found James's body," Linda finished hoarsely. Hatori stared at her in disbelief. He never would have imagined she would have had to endure something so terrible.

"I woke up in the hospital a few days later, having been beaten by those bullies. I didn't find out that James never made it until Kylie told me," Linda explained fighting back the tears that were trying to escape.

"I assume that explains the reason behind your fear of standing up for yourself," Hatori guessed wiping away the few tears that had escaped. "I'm glad you told me though, I feel better knowing your reasons for your promises."

"Thanks…don't tell Kylie though. I still haven't explained everything that happened that night. She only really knows about who James was and that I was found under a bridge. I want to tell her but I need to do it on my own time."

"I promise I won't tell another soul," Hatori promised. "Now I think it's time for you to get some sleep."

"I've been sleeping all day," Linda protested.

"That may be, but that doesn't mean it's healthy for you to stay up late."

"I guess you're right. Okay I'll get some more sleep…but I won't have to stay in bed tomorrow will I?" Linda asked with a frown.

Hatori chuckled and placed a hand on her cheek. "We'll see."

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"You're awfully glum tonight," Shigure commented softly to the despondent girl lying next to him. "Is there something wrong? Surely you're not still worried about Linda."

"I can't help it," Kylie said softly. "I am relieved that she's okay, but I came that close to losing her."

"Yes, and now you know how she must have felt after your stunt in December."

Kylie felt her cheeks burning in the dark. "Yeah…"

"I'd say she must have felt somewhat worse because she didn't know you had done that until after she saw you half drowned," Shigure added. "Don't take it too hard, she cares about you and doesn't want you to worry." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a tight hug. "She'll be just fine; Hatori will make sure of that."

Kylie closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest. "I just I could have helped in some way."

"And get injured yourself? Then _I_ would have been unhappy," Shigure said with a small laugh as he ruffled her hair.

"How is Akito-san?" Kylie asked suddenly.

Shigure took a moment to answer, "I'm not sure to be honest. When we left him he was in a state of shock. See we explained your curse to him and asked for permission to marry you," he explained slowly.

"Was he… angry?" Kylie asked hesitantly.

"Honestly, not as angry as I had anticipated," Shigure answered thoughtfully.

She couldn't keep the fear from her voice. "Are we going to have to leave?"

"After all we've been through do you really think we would just let the two of you leave?" Shigure asked giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Hatori and I are determined to keep you here."

"But if Akito-san says 'no'…" Kylie began but Shigure placed a finger to her lips.

"You just let me worry about that, alright? Don't worry yourself over it." Kylie wanted to protest further Shigure kissed her tenderly and she found herself once again succumbing to him. And here she thought she was getting better at being assertive with him.

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The next morning Kylie went up to see how Linda was doing and found that Linda was sprawled across her bed like always and Hatori was asleep next to the bed. Apparently Hatori had fallen asleep watching over her during the night.

"Well, it looks like the two of them are doing wonderfully," Shigure said coming up from behind her.

Kylie smiled and nodded. "Yeah." She continued staring at her cousin and Shigure noticed the look on her face.

"What are you thinking?"

"Shigure… I want to see Akito again."

"Why would you want something like that?" Shigure asked surprised.

"I think that if we see him one last time we'll be able to put an end to all of this," Kylie explained.

"I can't stop you if that's really what you want can I," Shigure murmured with a shake of his head. "Very well, I'll get you a meeting with Akito."

"Thank you," Kylie said gratefully.

"However, there is one condition," Shigure said holding up his hand.

"What's that?" Kylie asked.

"You are not to go in there by yourself," Shigure commanded seriously.

"No worries, I'll have Linda with me," Kylie reassured.

"Somehow that doesn't really fill me with confidence," Shigure replied sweat dropping.

A few seconds later Linda stirred and sat up rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Huh, Kylie, Shigure what are you guys doing in here?" she asked sleepily.

Kylie went over and gave her cousin a hug. "We live here, silly. It's nice to see you awake."

"Thanks… and sorry," Linda apologized. "I know I said I wouldn't put myself in danger."

"Baka, you're okay. That's all that matters."

"Right, so what's for breakfast? I'm starving," Linda asked with a grin. Their conversation woke Hatori up and before Kylie could answer he told them that she wasn't to leave the room until he was satisfied she was alright. "Fine, could you make me some breakfast anyway?" she called to her cousin as Hatori made her and Shigure leave.

"Sure thing," Kylie called back. After a few minutes, the smell of breakfast began to waft through the house.

"Ah, to think, I can look forward to wonderful meals like this every morning from now on," Shigure sighed whimsically.

"Are you sure you wouldn't get tired of me?" Kylie asked jokingly.

"Let me think….no," Shigure said grabbing onto Kylie from behind. "I doubt I'll ever get tired of having such a gorgeous woman in my house."

Kylie laughed. "If you don't let go I won't be able to serve breakfast."

"Fun first, work later, my dear."

"I think you have that backwards."

"Hey are you guys done in there I'm hungry," Linda said from outside. "I'm ready for breakfast and I really don't want it burnt."

"Very well, I'll let you get back to cooking so Linda doesn't get mad at me," Shigure said letting her go. "We'll continue this later though….okay."

"If you insist," Kylie said with a smile and a shrug and continued making breakfast.

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"See Akito again?" Linda asked once breakfast was served. "Sure, why not?"

"Are you sure about this? You did just recover from another injury," Hatori reminded her.

"Yeah I know. It'll be fine though, I've got a feeling that we'll be lucky this time around," Linda replied with a large grin.

The next few days were very happy ones. The school year was winding down and coming to a close while the four were planning for the next visit with Akito. One fine morning, Kylie's phone rang. "Hello? Aunt Marge?" Linda, who was sitting on the opposite side of their bedroom, glanced up curiously. "Yeah, Linda's here with me. Speaker phone? If you say so." Kylie pressed a button and a sultry voice rang out through the room.

"It's a good thing I got a hold of you both. The whole family has been worried sick. We haven't heard from you in months. Thought you both got hit by a car, train or something."

"We're fine Aunt Marge," Linda groaned. "We really don't have to check in everyday…besides we've been really busy this semester so we really haven't had a chance to."

"Don't you give me that, I know how the two of you think….and when did you start talking with such a sarcastic tone?" Aunt Marge said brusquely.

"I've been like this my whole life…I've just been too scared to speak what I thought until now," Linda replied rolling her eyes.

"Well I assume you two have gotten good grades throughout the year," she continued a little angrier than usual.

"Yep…in fact we worked hard enough to earn a few scholarships so we decided to stay longer," Kylie put in happily.

"WHAT? When were you going to tell us this decision? You were just going to stay there and hope we thought you were dead weren't you?" Marge accused.

Linda got this fake shocked look on her face, "Aunt Marge what would make you think we'd ever do something like that?"

"Well I have news for the two of you," Aunt Marge said very business like. "You two will probably want to come home after what I have to say."

"And what would that be?" Linda asked not really caring all that much.

"I've been studying our family's history and I think I've figured out how to break the curse over your heads. But you'll have to come home in order for it to happen."

Kylie's eyes widened as she heard the news and Linda dropped the pencil she was holding as well as her jaw. "W-what did you say? You can really stop the curse?" Linda asked utterly shocked.

"Yes, but you'll only be able to get rid of it if you come home to America," Marge replied triumphantly.

Linda looked up at Kylie with a mixture of joy and hope in her eyes. "I think we'll need to discus this among ourselves before we make a decision Aunt Marge. We'll call you back when we have an answer."

Outside their door, three males were lurking about, listening in. "Honestly, have you three any dignity whatsoever?" Hatori asked coming up from behind them. "Now get away from there."

Shigure turned around and he had chibi tears running down his face, "Oh Hatori it's awful, Linda and Kylie are going home."

"What are you babbling about?" Hatori asked raising an eyebrow.

"We just heard their Aunt calling them and saying that she had found a way for them to break the curse," Yuki explained as Shigure was too distraught to continue.

"That's a good thing isn't it?" Hatori asked confused.

"The catch is they have to go home in order to break it," Kyo continued disdainfully.

"I don't think there is anything to worry about. They would probably ignore it for our sake than take it and leave us alone," Hatori explained rolling his eyes in disbelief.

"Can you believe it Linda?" Kylie's voice came from beyond the door and the three once more had there ears pressed against the door while Hatori put a hand to his forehead in exasperation.

"Yeah, man to be rid of the curse… I never would have imagined," Linda answered.

"It would be nice," Kylie admitted. "I mean, I'm sick of getting bruises."

"I hear ya…and if we got rid of it we wouldn't make the others worry so much either," Linda mumbles scratching her chin. "I guess it would be nice to see the family again as well." At this Hatori looked up quickly starting to get worried that they would decide to go home.

"Yeah…it has been awhile since we last saw them after all," Kylie agreed.

A cloud of gloom seemed to settle over the four. They moved away from the door and down to the living room. "Oh fate, thou art cruel," Shigure exclaimed dramatically.

"It does seem rather hopeless when they start talking like that," Yuki said sadly.

"I can't understand why they'd want to leave when they're engaged," Kyo said angrily.

"They want to get rid of their curse. I think it's a pretty good reason for them," Hatori said leaning against the wall and looking at the ceiling.

"As much as I'm against the idea, we should let them know that we'll support any decision they will make," Shigure sighed.

"Let's give them time to think," Hatori said.

"What's to think about? Why wouldn't they want to get rid of their curse?" Kyo said begrudgingly.

"In any case, it's their choice to make. Who are we to stand in their way?" Yuki said wisely.

They sat there for several minutes in silence until Shigure got up and said that he was going to get the two down there. As he left the other three started to get a bad case of the butterflies. "Kylie, Linda could you come down here for a moment, there is something really important we need to discuss with you," Shigure called through the door.

Linda opened the door and looked at him curiously. "What's up?"

"Just come downstairs please?" he asked again very seriously. Kylie and Linda were surprised by the seriousness in his voice so they followed him without question.

He led them to the sitting room where Hatori, Yuki, and Kyo were waiting. Shigure asked them to sit down. They did so, sitting down on the couch while the four men remained standing. "Now, we would like to talk to you about a very serious matter," Shigure began.

"Okay," they both said together and waited.

Shigure took a deep breath. "Kylie, before you go would you please sleep with me?"

At Shigure's announcement Linda's jaw dropped, Hatori shook his head and both Yuki and Kyo clobbered Shigure. "You disgust me," Yuki muttered.

"Why can't you ever shut up," Kyo shouted.

"Um…what's all this talk about us leaving," Linda asked somewhat confused about Shigure's comment.

"I'm a little confused myself," Kylie said feeling rather awkward.

"We apologize," Yuki told them. "We overheard you the conversation about finding a way to break your curse."

"And we want you both to know that you're free to stay or go as you please," Hatori finished.

Kylie giggled, and then out right laughed. Linda was laughing as well. "Man you guys are so easily worked up."

The others stared at them confused now. "Well aren't you guys going home to break that curse?" Kyo asked agitated.

"We were thinking about it…and yeah it would be great to get rid of it and all…but if it means going home and possibly not seeing Japan again then I'd rather keep the curse and stay here," Linda explained with a laugh.

"What about seeing your family again?" Yuki asked them.

"We won't lie, we sort of miss them. But we've really grown attached to this place. We'd get too homesick if we left now," Kylie said smiling.

"Yeah besides going home would mean we'd be underneath the hated eyes of all those relatives….not to mention the prospect of some of them trying to use us before we ditch the curse and others who'll try to convince us not to get rid of them," Linda said with a wave of her hand.

"Plus, with any luck, we're getting married…why would we want to leave with that wonderful event coming up?" Kylie added with a smile.

"I keep telling you not to jinx it you idiot," Linda exclaimed smacking her upside the head.

The four males couldn't hide the utter relief on their faces at their words. "Um, is something going on?" Tohru asked poking her head in. "If I'm interrupting I can come back later."

"No, everything is fine," Yuki told her with a relieved smile.

"We had a misunderstanding but it was all settled," Shigure continued rubbing his sore head, while Kylie followed suit. Tohru looked around the room confused but came in all the same with lunch in her hands.

Later that day, Linda and Kylie called their aunt back and told her to inform the family that they weren't coming back. "We've decided we like it here and we think we'll get by just fine with our curse," Kylie told her happily.

"So if you want to see us that badly come on over here yourself," Linda said before moving to hang up.

"Oh my dear…we're already here," Marge chuckled a little.

"Wha…?" Linda and Kylie both stuttered. They heard the phone click as their Aunt hung up, and moments later there was a knock at the door. Linda and Kylie exchanged worried glances.

Downstairs, Tohru answered the door to find two older looking women standing there. One looked to be a tall portly woman and had a rather pleased look on her face and the other looked to be an older looking version of Kylie, and appeared to be down right livid. "Um…can I help you?" Tohru asked nervously.

"Yes," the older Kylie stated. "I'm Kylie's mother."

"And I'm Linda's Aunt," the portly woman added.

"We're here to take the two of them home to America," they said together. "Where they belong."

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CM: Bwahahahaha..... I love cliffhangers. Will they be able to stay, or will their relatives manage to drag them home? Will Shigure never manage to consumate his love with Kylie? Will Hatori have another love torn from him? Stay tuned! :D


	30. Family Matters

CM: Hey everyone. My gosh, sorry about how long it took to get this chapter up. College is a killer sometimes. But anyway, we promise the next chapter won't take nearly as long to get up. And thank you all who waited so patiently. Enjoy!

**Family Matters**

"Who is it?" Kylie asked nervously as Linda went to the window to take a peek.

"Well…I see Aunt Marge alright," Linda grumbled biting her lip. "And there's someone with her…I think it's…oh great. Kylie…it's your Mom."

"M-mom?!" Kylie exclaimed. 'Oh no…now how am I supposed to do this?' she asked herself.

"Well we'd better get down there," Linda muttered as she rubbed her neck nervously. "We don't want to have to make them put up with those two for too long."

"Tell you what… you go down there, and I'll go out the back door," Kylie suggested.

"Oh no you don't," Linda stated grabbing the back of Kylie's shirt. "If I've got to face our Aunt…then you're going to face your mom. You're not leaving me to do this all by myself."

"Demo…. She scares me," Kylie groaned.

"Yeah… and you're going to make _them_ go through that?" Linda asked her incredulously.

Kylie's head popped up and suddenly she was out of Linda's hands and speeding downstairs.

"Well…that didn't take much did it," Linda murmured blinking slightly at Kylie's hasty departure. "Might as well join them." She sighed heavily and headed downstairs as well…halfway dreading the confrontation they were about to have.

When they reached the lower floor they found Yuki, Kyo and Tohru all sitting around the table with Kylie's mother and Aunt Marge trying to make themselves comfortable on the floor. They were trying really hard to talk to each other but as Kyo and Tohru weren't adept at English and their family didn't know Japanese…it was difficult for them to understand each other.

"Ack…I can't understand a thing you're saying," Kyo finally exploded.

"Neither can they," Yuki sighed. "Why don't you just shut your mouth if you're going to be of no use you stupid cat."

"What did you say rat boy?" Kyo demanded viciously.

"Please don't fight!" Tohru exclaimed frantically.

Kylie quickly rushed forward and stood between her mother and the three high schoolers. "Konichiwa, Okaasan," Kylie said nervously, then remembered her mother didn't speak Japanese. "I mean, ah, hello, mother."

"Kylie…it's about time you got down here," her mom exclaimed getting to her feet. "Now come along…we're going home."

"Aunt Cory, just wait a minute," Linda spoke up trying to get her mind back into English mode. "We've got a lot of things we need to tell you. Only then can we even talk about going home."

"What are they saying?" Kyo hissed at Yuki.

"Nothing that you need to worry about," Yuki replied coldly. He was having a hard enough time handling the fact that it sounds like they would be going home whether they liked it or not.

"Hello there," a deeper male voice said causing just about everyone to jump except for the two adults. Kylie and Linda both turned to see it had been Shigure, except he had spoken in English. "It's a pleasure to have you both visit my humble abode. My name is Shigure Sohma."

Kylie felt a wave of relief and dread at the same time. It was nice to have some support, but at the same time, she worried about his safety.

"What were you doing Shigure?" Yuki asked suspiciously.

"Oh…just finishing up a part of my book," Shigure answered calmly. "I'm a writer by the way. I write all sorts of novels."

"Yeah one's I'd never want to read," Linda thought derisively.

"I wish they'd quit speaking in English," Kyo complained in his head. "It's really hard to keep up with them like this."

"Could you three please leave the room for a while?" Shigure asked the younger ones. "This might take a while so you needn't hang around."

The three exchanged glances but decided not to argue and left the room. They didn't go very far, however, when Kyo sat next to the door and listened in. "That's despicable," Yuki remarked.

"I kind of want to know too," Tohru mumbled.

Yuki sighed. "Well... I suppose it couldn't hurt to listen..."

"A writer…well that's interesting isn't it Cory," Marge said rubbing her chin.

"Indeed it is," Cory agreed…though with a less than impressed tone.

"Why didn't you girls tell us you were staying with a writer?" Marge demanded.

"Well…I guess it just sort of slipped our minds," Kylie murmured looking away.

"We knew about him being a writer and all…but we never did think it was that big of a deal," Linda added. She almost immediately regretted it as Shigure hung his head in despair. "What I meant was I had no interest in your books…just because of the type they are…so it didn't make that big of an impact on me."

"Even so…" Cory said. "The fact that you two were living with three males… just because you both are in college does not mean that you can carry on such a frivolous lifestyle."

"It's nothing like that," Kylie said quickly, her face turning red with mortification.

"Don't get the wrong idea auntie," Linda added. "For one we wouldn't because these guys are too young…except Shigure…and second of all…we're not that irresponsible."

"Then would you care to explain the rings on both of your fingers?" Aunt Marge inquired calmly.

"What?!" Cory exclaimed her face filling with anger. "What philanderer would dare mess with my daughter?"

"That would be me," Shigure answered nervously raising his hand.

"You're not helping Shigure," Linda hissed. Then she turned her attention back to her relatives. "Aunt Marge, Aunt Cory, sorry but we've both decided to get married here to the two men we fell in love with."

Cory didn't take too kindly to this and she actually tried to grab Kylie's ring right off her finger. "Cory…you really should calm down," Marge told her getting her to sit back down. "We can discuss this like civilized people." Cory scoffed doubtfully but folded her arms and sat silently all the same.

"I can kind of sympathize with Kylie on this matter. My mother's just as controlling," Yuki thought remembering the parent teacher conference his mother had attended.

"Aunt Cory…I know you're not exactly thrilled at the idea of the two of us getting married…or at least at the thought of Kylie getting married," Linda started.

"Not thrilled…that's an understatement," Kylie thought sadly.

"But the fact is…we fell in love," Linda continued. "You've always told us to follow our hearts when it came to this sort of thing…and we are."

"Kylie, tell me you're not pregnant," Cory said grabbing a hold of her daughter. "That's the reason why you've decided to do this, isn't it?"

"Mom…" Kylie groaned in embarrassment, and she was grateful that the three high schoolers had left before this. Even Shigure looked surprised at such a suggestion. "No, we haven't done anything like that."

"What are they talking about?" Kyo asked Yuki who had a rather mortified expression.

"I'd rather not say," Yuki muttered.

"Then there's no reason for you to stay here," Cory told Kylie. "You only think you're in love when really you don't know the first thing about it. This is just another one of your fanciful crushes."

"You're wrong!" Kylie shouted suddenly and both Marge and Cory nearly took a step back. "You're wrong, mom," Kylie repeated. "I love Shigure more than anything. He makes me feel amazing, and I never feel afraid to be myself when I'm around him. He's helped me so much, even when I tried to push him away. If this is just some crush… then I don't _want_ to know what the real thing was like, because I don't think I could handle anything beyond this feeling."

The entire room was silent for several moments. This was the first time that anyone had seen Kylie so passionate about something.

"That was very poetic," a calm voice said breaking the silence.

Everyone looked up to see Hatori standing there looking business like as usual. "Pardon me, but the door was open so I let myself in."

"Hatori," Linda said happily as she jumped up and gave him a kiss. "I didn't think you'd be over today."

"Who is that?" Marge asked incredulous at the blatant show of affection she showed.

"This is my fiancé, Hatori Sohma," Linda explained happily. "He's their family physician and my current boss."

"Romantic relationships between employer and employee?" Cory exclaimed. "That is completely unprofessional. How dare he try to take advantage of his assistant like that."

"Aunt Cory…I mean no disrespect but my personal life is none of _your_ business as you are _not_ my legal guardian," Linda shot back. "And for your information…he's never once taken advantage of me…even when the opportunity presented itself."

"I think we all need to take a breath here and sort things out properly," Hatori said to all in the room.

"You have no business interfering in families affairs," Cory snapped. "These girls are..."

"We already know about their curse," Hatori cut in.

"Yes, we've known for quite some time actually," Shigure admitted, deciding to take Hatori's lead. "I promise you though we've all been keeping it under our hats."

"If you know…then explain to us this," Marge stated coolly. "What reason would you have to not fall to the temptation of using it to your own advantage?"

"Because I would never want anything that would jeopardize Linda's or Kylie's safety," Hatori replied simply.

"Nor would I," Shigure agreed.

"Wow, this is really intense," Haru whispered from right behind Kyo, causing the orange haired kid to jump.

"When the hell did you show up?" he hissed.

Yuki smacked him. "Be quiet or they'll hear you, stupid cat."

"Are they gonna have to go away?" Momiji had apparently tagged along with Haru and now looked like he might cry.

"By the sound of it…they're trying very hard to stay," Yuki assured him. "But unfortunately I don't know enough English to fully understand their words."

"Oh…I wish I'd paid more attention in class," Tohru sighed twiddling her thumbs.

"Hmm…those two ladies don't seem to be very happy," Haru commented.

"They can't leave! They can't leave!" Momiji shouted before Haru silenced him.

"It's best if we keep silent, so as not to upset those inside," he murmured softly.

"Miss Cory, if I may say a few words," Shigure spoke up. "As far as the curse goes… let's just say we're familiar with such matters and leave it at that. But when I first met Kylie, I couldn't help but be charmed by her. She's a very honest, kind, and creative young woman. Even if she didn't love me, I can no longer imagine a happy life without her. There is nothing I desire more in this world than to be with her," Shigure said with genuine honesty. "And I'm sure Hatori feels the same way about Linda."

"Sh-Shigure," Kylie murmured embarrassedly as her face turned visibly red.

"At any rate…I don't want to see my daughter getting distracted from her school work because of some man she decided to fraternize with…and even live with," Cory stated firmly. "I have half a mind to take you home right now…but as the school year isn't yet finished I shall allow you to stay until it ends…but only as long as you focus on your studies and stop with this silly marriage idea."

"On the contrary," Hatori spoke up. "From what Linda tells me, Kylie had been struggling with her classes since arriving, but since she has been getting help from Shigure her grades have greatly increased."

"That's right," Kylie said, her face lighting up. "I've never done so well in literature class. I can finally read between the lines… sort of. And my writing has improved a lot from what sensei told me. He said I could be a novelist if wanted."

"Really….that means we could be co writers," Shigure gushed moving to give her a hug but being stopped by Hatori.

"You don't want to do that," Hatori said. "We don't need to them to know _our _secret."

"Ehehe…. Right," Shigure said, grateful that Hatori had remembered what he had failed to.

Aunt Marge turned to looked at Linda. "And what do you have to say for yourself, young lady?"

"I love Hatori," Linda said simply. "He's the first person since Jason that I've ever felt like giving up everything…as long as he was happy." She took a deep breath as Marge stared at her in surprise. "Look…auntie. I'm grateful for everything you've done for me up until this point…but I've already become of age and am fully capable of making my own decisions. This is something I _want_ to do…and I won't go back…even if it is to end my curse."

"And I don't plan on leaving either, mom," Kylie said decisively. "I'm staying here…. with Shigure. I still plan on finishing school and getting a good career, but I'm not a baby anymore. You have to let me go."

"She's right…we're _not_ children anymore…we've grown up…and this is our final word," Linda continued. She glanced over at Kylie and then back at their two guardians.

"We're staying here," they stated together firmly.

"That was wonderful," Ayame shouted as he burst into the room with shimmers and his arms thrust out flamboyantly.

"Ack…Ayame…what are you doing here?!" Linda exclaimed taking a couple steps away from him.

"I just heard the news that your family was here and I came to meet them," Ayame expressed happily.

At this Hatori glared down at Shigure menacingly. "You did not."

"Well, you see… I just _happened _to be on the phone when they arrived and Ayame just _happened_ to be on the other end and this is how it played out I suppose," Shigure said with a light laugh.

"That _idiot_," Yuki whispered darkly.

"Well, might as well start packing their bags now," Kyo muttered.

"But maybe… Ayame will be able to help…" Tohru suggested.

"We're doomed," both Kyo and Yuki thought.

"Kylie…who is this?" Cory asked looking at the man curiously.

"Ah…this is Ayame-sama," Kylie answered with a smile. "He's my boss."

"Great…now she'll never let us stay," Linda thought sadly.

"This man is your boss?" Cory demanded in surprise.

"Yes, and it's a pleasure to meet the mother of my dear employee," Ayame said taking Cory's hand and bowing respectfully.

Cory was taken aback by this gesture and for a few moments she was at a loss for words. She recovered, however, clearing her throat before asking, "Excuse me, but what line of work are you in?"

"I sell clothes," Ayame answered jubilantly. "That bring fantasies to life."

"Fantasies to… what?" Cory said in confusion.

"Ayame makes special dress wear upon request," Hatori quickly intercepted. "They usually involve special occasions that require more formal wear."

"I wouldn't count a nurses outfit as formal wear," Linda thought darkly.

"So…you make women's clothing then?" Cory asked in clarification. Ayame nodded with a wide smile on his face. "So then what does my daughter do exactly?"

"She helps me with constructing the costumes and she makes a wonderful model," Ayame explained with a flourish.

"My daughter, a model," Cory said as if she couldn't believe it. "Since when have you ever been interested in modeling?"

"Well… it pays the rent," Kylie said with a shy smile and a shrug. "And it's not so bad. Ayame-sama makes really pretty dresses. Oh! Tell them about your job Linda," Kylie said turning to her cousin.

"Well…I help file away the different medical records of the family and help with organization as well as anything else that's needed," Linda answered with a warm smile. "So I guess you could say I'm his secretary."

"It sounds like you both have come very far for yourselves," Aunt Marge said, unable to keep from sounding impressed.

"I suppose…" Cory said, though rather grudgingly.

"Yes indeed, these two have not only furthered themselves but they have also shined their light down on our entire family," Ayame exclaimed with a flourish before once more taking Cory's hand. "That is why I must beg of you both, please do not take them away. I do not wish to see any more heart broken faces of both friend and family. After all, love like this happens only once in a lifetime if we are lucky, don't you agree?"

At this, Cory's cheeks started to turn pink and for once she stared at him completely speechless. Her eyes widened slightly and her breath sounded like it wasn't coming as easily as before.

"Cory…what was it you said to the girls earlier about not falling for such pretty men?" Marge asked in amusement.

"Uh…yes," Cory replied snapping out of her trance and pulling her hand regretfully out of Ayame's hand. "Um…I understand that you are doing quite well here…but…"

Before she could finish her sentence Aunt Marge had grabbed a hold of her sister's arm and lifted her into a standing position before turning her toward the door. "Well it's been a wonderful visit but I believe we've over stayed our welcome," she said over her shoulder. "We know the way to the door so we'll find our way out. Come along sister, those two have the rest of their lives ahead of them."

"Ah…but…" her mother began but her sister did not slow. So finally resigned herself to this warning to all of them. "If my daughter comes to any harm, I will make you regret it."

After her declaration, Cory disappeared from view without her sister's help and Marge chuckled a bit to herself. "I'm glad you two finally found a place where you can truly be happy," Marge told the two at the edge of the room. "I've known for a long time now that only someone who could truly understand you could bring such happiness to you. But like Cory I must say one more thing before I leave. If I get any word that these two have been mistreated in any way, shape, or form, I shall return with a vengeance."

"We can only offer you our word that we will not allow that to happen," Hatori said with an incline of his head.

"We'll do our best to keep them out of trouble," Shigure promised.

"We'll treat them like princesses," Ayame exclaimed throwing his hand up into the air.

"You'd better," Marge said with a small smile. Then she too turned and left.

It was silent in the room for several minutes; still, calm, and quiet, the kind of feeling that is left behind after a frightening storm has blown passed.

"We… we did it…" Kylie murmured her eyes lighting up. "We stood up to them…. We don't have to leave!"

"I know," Linda chuckled nervously. "And…the snake actually helped out…honestly I figured he would have seriously frightened your mom."

"Oh I'm so happy you don't have to leave," Shigure shouted throwing his arms around Kylie. "You don't know how hard it was for me to keep from hugging you during their visit."

"Yes…I almost couldn't hold him back any longer," Hatori sighed.

"But of course I helped you," Ayame said flamboyantly as he missed what else was said. "Who could deny two beautiful young women the love that their young hearts desire?"

"Thank you so much, Ayame-sama," Kylie said happily as she rested her head against Shirgure. "Really, it means so much to us."

"Yeah… thanks a bunch," Linda said, albeit rather awkwardly.

"Naturally, after all," he said his voice taking a sudden tone down. "I truly couldn't bear to see two of my favorite cousins suffer such heart ache. Nor could I stand to see my precious little brother disappointed."

"Nii-san…"

Everyone turned to see that Yuki had stepped out of his hiding place with the rest of the younger children poking their heads out and observing the spectacle.

Yuki looked down at the floor, looking even more awkward than Linda had felt. "Just now…. You really… did something right."

Ayame looked as if God himself had given him praise. "Hatori! Did you hear what my dear younger brother just said?"

"It was hard to mss considering I was standing right here," Hatori said dryly.

Linda laughed a bit at Hatori's annoyance but was cut short as something small and bouncy smacked into her, dropping her to the floor. "So you don't have to go?!" Momiji shouted in excitement from on top of Linda.

"No Momiji, we don't have to go," Linda chuckled heavily from underneath him.

Haru, meanwhile, had walked over to wear Kylie was and with a single movement snatched her right out of Shigure's arms and pulled her into a hug. "Glad to know you're sticking around," he said with the lightest trace of a smile.

"Ah… thank you, Hatsuharu," Kylie said patting him on the head nervously.

"Hey…" Shigure wined seeing her in Haru's arms.

"Don't worry Shigure-san, you'll have forever to hold her now," Tohru said encouragingly.

"I wasn't worried about this falling through at all," Kyo declared.

"But you were the one who was shaking the most," Momiji pointed out. Kyo gritted his teeth before digging his fists into either side of Momiji's head. "Waaah. Kyo's being mean," he cried.

"Looks like everything's back to normal," Linda laughed as she got up off the floor. "I'm just glad that we managed to get over this little hurdle."

"But we do still have one more to cross," Kylie pointed out.

"Oh yeah…Mr. Sunshine," Linda mumbled sarcastically.

"So you both are truly considering seeing Akito once more?" Yuki asked them, a hint of fear gracing his princely features.

"Eh, don't worry about us," Linda said with a confident smile. "We're gonna have to sooner or later anyway. We'll be just fine."

"Yes because we have the spring time of youth," Kylie exclaimed striking a pose.

"You are not Rock Lee…and this is not an anime," Linda muttered.

"But, it could be," Kylie murmured.

"Who would turn this into an anime?" Linda demanded.

"Yes…for all we know we could just be characters in some twisted world someone else created," Shigure added.

"You'd have to have one twisted mind to make someone's life into something like that," Linda grumbled.

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CM: Hehe, if only they knew. Anyway, next time, the final meeting with Akito. How will it turn out? Stay tuned!


	31. One Mistfortune Can Lead to Good Fortune

**One Misfortune Can Lead to Good Fortune**

A full week passed by, until Hatori came by and informed the two girls that they would be granted an audience with Akito that very afternoon. Kylie and Linda were both set on it, neither having any misgivings.

They went through their day like normal and as soon as class ended Hatori picked them up and brought them to the Sohma house with Shigure in tow. "Are you sure you want to do this," they asked softly.

"Yeah, don't worry Hatori, Shigure we know what we're doing," Linda and Kylie replied.

"Alright, but if it gets to be too much in there let us know," Shigure said gently placing a hand on Kylie's face.

"Okay," Kylie said before giving him a hug.

"Please be careful," Hatori told Linda earnestly.

"Heh, aren't I always?" Linda asked before giving him a small peck on the cheek. The two girls gave their men reassuring smiles before opening the door, stepping inside, and shutting it behind them.

"It's good to see you again. What made you witches want to see me again after the beating I gave you last time?" Akito asked sitting next to the window. "Are you going to try to give me some luck, or do you think you can change my decision?"

"Neither, we want to settle things once and for all," Linda told him boldly.

"And how do you intend on doing that?" Akito demanded with a sneer.

"We just want to talk," Kylie said calmly.

"What could you possibly say to me that would interest me?" Akito demanded viciously.

"We want to marry Hatori and Shigure, we're not going to ask for your permission but more for you blessing," Linda told him boldly.

"How dare you," Akito shouted. "You just want to take my family away from me."

"We're not looking to take your family away from you," Kylie insisted. "We just want to be a part of it. Because we love them all, and you Akito. We're really glad that we got to meet you. It's because of you that we were able to know what it's like to be a part of a family than just being in one."

"She's right, for as long as we can remember we weren't part of our family, but since coming here we've been able to act like ourselves and have fun," Linda added.

"I don't care what you experienced you are not going to join this family," Akito declared jumping up to his feet.

"Why do you do it?" Kylie asked softly. "Why do you lock yourself away from the world?"

"That's none of your business," Akito shouted.

"You're afraid of getting hurt out there, aren't you," Linda guessed. "That's it, you're afraid of being hurt from those on the outside and you're afraid of your family getting hurt by those on the outside as well. That's why you hate it when they meet people not in the family…and even then if they stop visiting you as much as they used to you hate them. You can't stand the possibility of the members of the zodiac being happy with more people than just you."

"Shut up! Just stop talking!" Akito shouted stepping forward, raising his hand to hit her. She sat and waited, but when the blow landed, it wasn't Linda who had gotten hit. Kylie fell to the floor after jumping in front of the fist meant for Linda.

Linda looked down at her cousin and waited until she stood, "Are you alright Kylie?" she asked. Kylie nodded and then looked back at Akito who was surprised by Kylie's action.

"Why did you take the hit for her? Not that I care if you get hurt," Akito asked when he got his bearing back.

"That's what you do for family," Kylie told him. "You take shots for them and you support them, even if you don't agree with it. That's what the members of the zodiac do for you, that's what we do for you, because we all care about you."

"They don't take any shots for me, they don't care about me anymore. They all hate me and want to leave here," Akito said taking several steps back.

"That's not true, they don't hate you and if they did I doubt they'd stay in the same city as you. However, even though they move into their own homes they still come to visit and spend time with the family here. When a family member is hurt or in trouble they come to help and make sure that they get better quickly. That is what being a part of a family is all about," Linda explained smiling warmly.

"Sh-shut up," Akito tried to yell but his voice broke. "You're lying… nobody understands… nobody cares about me. They say that they care but they all lie. How could they possibly care about me?"

"Why not take the chance to find out instead of pushing them away," Linda suggested. "Speculating at how people see you isn't good for your health, but sometimes a lot of things can be cleared up just by asking the simple questions."

Akito stood in silence for several minutes. Kylie and Linda were wondering if they should say something more, but before they could he said to them in a low voice. "Do what you want. Now get out."

Kylie looked up at him. "So, does that mean… the wedding…?"

"Didn't you hear me? I said do what you want!" Akito said his voice rising with each word. "Just get out!"

"Thank you," Kylie said softly before turning to leave.

"Thank you," Linda added gently. "I wish you the best of luck." Then she turned and left the room with Kylie.

"What happened in there, we heard the shouting and….Kylie are you alright?" Shigure asked hurrying up to them as soon as they closed the door behind them.

He touched her bruised cheek and she winced at the contact but smiled. "He said we could," she said throwing her arms around him.

Shigure and Hatori were shocked, "How did you do it?"

"We just talked to him really. I guess we figured out what buttons to press that's all," Linda explained. "He didn't exactly say the words 'yes you can marry them' but he did say do as you like."

"That's wonderful," Hatori said with a relieved smile, kissing her cheek.

"It certainly is," Shigure said holding Kylie against him, rocking her gently. "How we've waited for so long."

Linda hugged him and held on tight as small amounts of tears rolled down her cheeks. "I've never been so happy in all my life," she exclaimed giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I hope this feeling never ends."

* * *

The next few days were very happy ones. The school year was winding down and coming to a close while the four were planning for the weddings which, of course, Ayame was helping with. One fine morning, Kylie's phone rang. "Hello? Aunt Marge?" Linda, who was sitting on the opposite side of their bedroom, glanced up curiously. "yeah, Linda's here with me. Speaker phone? If you say so."

Kylie pressed a button and a sultry voice rang out through the room. "It's a good thing I got a hold of you both. The whole family has been in an uproar since we told them that you two were not coming home. Many are worried, you should probably contact a few of them to let them know you're okay."

"Okay, Aunt Marge," Linda sighed. "We really don't have to check in everyday…besides we've been really busy this semester so we really haven't had a chance to, but we'll be sure to help you and Aunt Cory out."

"Don't you give me that, you'll forget the moment this phone conversation ends. I know how the two of you think…well I assume you two have gotten good grades throughout the year," she continued a little softer.

"Yep…in fact we worked hard enough to earn a few scholarships so we can stay longer without depending on their money," Kylie put in happily. "My my, you two have gotten very far without us it would seem. I must admit, I am proud of you both. Cory is too, though she'll never say it out loud." Marge said with a chuckled.

"Mom's proud?" Kylie asked in surprise.

"Yes, you two have managed to take your curse and make good use of it without it hindering your own lives," Marge said with approval. "And you found yourselves two good men that will take care of you. Just don't get carried away, either of you."

Linda got this fake shocked look on her face, "Aunt Marge what would make you think we'd ever do something like that?"

"The cat, the fish, the bird, the ferret you took care of for your aunt Joanne and the list goes on and on," Aunt Marge replied with a laugh.

"Okay, okay I get the point," Linda groaned. "But those were all creatures that couldn't talk to me, this is completely different."

"Don't worry, we think we'll get by just fine," Kylie told her happily. "Tell mom I love her."

"Of course," Aunt Marge promised.

Linda laughed a little after hanging up. "If only they knew..."

"You mean the fact that we kind of have animals taking care of us now?" Kylie asked her with a giggle.

"Yep, it's a good thing I'm not paired with the dog..... the last one I had died," Linda said with a sheepish grin.

"I feel you, poor Francesco the fish never had a chance... went down the drain just as I was cleaning his bowl," Kylie said with a shake of her head. But that aside..."

"Right, now that that's taken care of we can focus more fully on the wedding," Linda exclaimed jovially. "Let's get to it."

* * *

The wedding was not too large due to Kylie and Linda's wishes, but it was nothing short of glamorous. Ayame hand crafted all of the outfits for the wedding including their dresses. Kyo and Yuki escorted Linda and Kylie to the altar while Tohru was the flower girl and Kisa and Hiro were the ring bearers. When they got up in front of everyone, they both stared lovingly at their soon-to-be husbands. "Do you two gentleman take these two lovely ladies to be your wives, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?" The priest asked.

"We do," they both answered.

"And do you two take these men…" He began, but Linda cut him off.

"You don't even have to ask."

"I concur," Kylie said with a smile.

Hatori and Shigure grinned at their enthusiasm and the priest smiled. "Do you have the rings?" he asked and Hiro and Kisa presented the rings for both couples to place on each other's fingers. "I pronounce you men and wives, you may now kiss your brides." With that Hatori and Shigure removed the veils over their wives faces and kissed them warmly.

Linda and Kylie tossed the bouquets out into the crowd and surprisingly Rin and Kyo by some weird twist of fate ended up catching them.

The group laughed heavily as Haru went black and started beating up on Kyo for catching the bouquet with Rin. "This is the strangest family I've ever come in contact with," Linda said laughing.

"So are you ready to go?" Hatori asked warmly.

"Yes, I was wondering that myself," Shigure asked as well.

"Of course I'm ready to go…I've been wanting to take a break from this crowd for some time," Linda replied.

"So onto the honeymoon then I guess," Kylie said cheerfully.

They headed for the two cars waiting to take them away to their wonderful honeymoon. As they went the rest of the Sohma family threw rice and blew bubbles and bid them farewell. Linda and Kylie waved goodbye to all their new friends and family and held on tightly to their new, wonderful husbands, ready to begin their new life.

"Looks like we're not completely luckless after all," Kylie said from beside her, leaning against Shigure.

"No we're still luckless, this whole marriage thing is going to have some sort of bad luck come back to haunt us just like always," Linda replied sarcastically smiling happily.

Kylie laughed. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"Well then," Shigure said with a sly grin. "We'll just have to work hard to make it worth your while."

"Indeed," Hatori agreed.

"For once, I'm glad we were unlucky enough to run into this family," Kylie said to Linda.

"Yeah I'm really happy about it too," Linda agreed leaning against Hatori with her head on his chest. "It was all worth while in the end."

~OWARI~

* * *

CM: Ta-da! That's the end everyone! And wasn't it so beautiful! I'd like to give all the readers a special thanks for sticking with us this long and seeing this story through to the end. Just so you know, Shippoman wants to put in an alternate ending we ended up writing after staying up too late. More info when it comes. Ja ne!


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